Bee

Name: Western honey bee
Scientific Name: Apis mellifera

Basic Information:
Female worker bees start their lives out by cleaning the hive and feeding the larvae. After this, they begin building comb cells. After a couple of weeks, a worker bee starts to receive nectar and pollen from older workers and store it. After the 20th day, a worker leaves the hive and spends the remainder of its life as a forager. A healthy hive population in mid-summer can average between 40,000 and 80,000 bees.

In honey bees, the worker bees have a barbed stinger with which they can defend the hive. Contrary to popular belief, the bee will not always die soon after stinging: this is a misconception based on the fact that a bee will usually die after stinging a human or other mammal. The sting and associated venom sac are modified so as to pull free of the body once lodged, and the sting apparatus has its own musculature and ganglion which allow it to keep delivering venom in its detached state.

Habitat Information:
Prairie and Steppe - Generally distinguished by the type of plants covering the ground, prairie habitats have taller grasses while steppe habitats have shorter grass. Both habitats have a wide variety of plants and animals, as well as insects, to be seen at Windaroo Zoo.

Bob the Bee at Windaroo:
Bob is a Western Honey Bee drone that was saved from dying of starvation after being expelled out of the hive. Bob is now doing well under the care of the Windaroo Zoo staff. Stop by and meet Bob the bee, along with our other savanna animals, while you're here at Windaroo Zoo.

Related Animals:
Caracal
Dhole
Prairie Dog
A-Z Animal List