Stats

Lifespan: Weeks to 5 yrs
Size: Small
Diet: Herbivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Colony
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: Europe and Africa
Movement: Flight
Breeding: Egg-laying
Defense: Venom
Status: Common

About

A social insect kept worldwide for honey, beeswax, and crop pollination, originally native to Europe, Africa, and western Asia. Foragers communicate the direction and distance of food sources to nestmates through a figure-eight 'waggle dance' performed on the comb.

Life cycle

1.
egg
A small egg is laid on or near the larval food source and hatches within days or weeks.
2.
juvenile
An immature insect feeds and molts, growing through successive instars.
3.
subadult
A near-adult insect has wing buds or near-mature form, one molt away from full size.
4.
adult
Fully grown, with full wings and adult coloration.

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Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Apis
Species: Apis mellifera