A European honey bee (Apis mellifera) sits on a lavender blossom.

European Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) — A honey bee sits on a lavender blossom.

Creator: [Martin Falbisoner](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Creator:Martin_Falbisoner), [Wikimedia Commons source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bee_on_Lavender_Blossom_2.jpg), CC BY-SA 4.0. Licence: [CC BY-SA 4.0 deed](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en).

Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

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Species record

European Honey Bee

Apis mellifera

Explore the European Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) species record in The Ark Is Earth, including classification, habitat, distribution, conservation information, and sources.

Summary

The western honey bee is a social bee native to Europe, Africa and western Asia and introduced widely elsewhere. Colonies include a queen, workers and drones; workers gather nectar and pollen, and returning foragers can use a waggle dance to communicate the location of food.

Classification in this archive

  1. Kingdom: Animals
  2. Phylum: Arthropods
  3. Class: Insects
  4. Order: Hymenoptera
  5. Family: Apidae
  6. Genus: Apis

Habitat and distribution

Selected documented locations — not a complete species range.

Habitat
meadows and flowering grasslands, open wooded areas, gardens and flowering farms
Selected regions
Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, Oceania
Selected countries
France, Spain, United States, New Zealand

Conservation status

Conservation status not recorded.

Did you know?

  • A returning worker’s waggle dance can tell nestmates where a food source is.
  • A honey-bee colony has a queen and many worker bees that gather food and care for the young.

More images

A European honey bee (Apis mellifera) gathers nectar from an Aster flower.

European Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) — A bee gathers nectar from an Aster flower.

Creator: [John Severns](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Severnjc), [Wikimedia Commons source](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:European_honey_bee_extracts_nectar.jpg), Public domain (worldwide); released by the author.

Licence: Public domain (worldwide)

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Sources and attribution