Amazing Bee Facts: 20,000 Species and Counting

Diversity & Social Structure

~20,000 bee species exist. Most are solitary; honeybees and bumblebees live in colonies with three castes:

• Queen: Sole egg-layer, lives 2–3 years.
• Workers (females): Forage, build, defend, nurse—live ~6 weeks.
• Drones (males): Only mate; die after mating or are expelled in autumn.

Unique Traits

• Only insects producing human-edible food (honey).
• Honeybees beat wings ~11,400×/minute—that’s the buzz.
• Each colony has a distinct scent for homing.
• Stingers only on females; honeybee workers die after stinging (barbed stinger).
• 1,000+ stings needed to kill non-allergic human.

Notable Species

• Honeybees: Large perennial colonies; pollinate crops; make surplus honey.
• Bumblebees: Annual colonies; excellent native pollinators; buzz-pollinate tomatoes.
• Carpenter bees: Solitary; drill nest tunnels in wood; important pollinators.
• “Killer” (Africanized) bees: Same venom as European honeybees, but defend in massive numbers and pursue longer.

Why They Matter

Bees pollinate ~75% of leading food crops. Habitat loss, pesticides, and disease threaten them. Plant native flowers, avoid neonics, provide water and nesting sites to help.