The honeybee (Apis mellifera) is a colonial insect that, while not actually domesticated, is often maintained, fed, and transported by farmers. Its primary value is as a pollinator of crops. Honeybees are also valued for the honey they produce, which is used as a sweetener in many foods. Honey has a distinct flavor, which leads some people to prefer it over sugar and other sweeteners.
Beekeepers often remove most or all of the honey from the beehive, then feed the bees on sugar water to help them get through the winter. In many cases, they build artificial hives, with trays to make it easy to remove the honey. The trays also hold the wax formed by the bees in the manufacturing of their honey combs. The wax can be gathered by heating the trays artificially or naturally, with the sun, to be used in various wax products like candles and seals. These hives also enable farmers to transport bees, charging farmers for the pollination services they provide. Near specialty farms like orange or almond orchards, the harvested honey will take on the flavor of the dominant flower in the region.
A beehive generally contains one breeding female, or "queen"; a few males, or "drones"; and a large population of sterile female workers. The workers cooperate to find food, and use a pattern of "dancing" to communicate with each other.
Bee problems:
- North American honeybee populations were severely depleted by mite infections in the late 1990s.
- The spread of Africanized bees across the southern United States where they pose a small danger to humans.
See also bee.