Honeybee (Apis mellifera)

Size:

• Queen: 18 – 20 mm
• Worker: 11 – 16 mm
• Drones: 13 – 1 7 mm

Look:

• Yellow and black coloring
• Hairy chest area
  

Life cycle:

• Perennial colony
• The queen lives up to 5 years and lays several thousand eggs daily.

Nest:

• Nesting sites: beehives or natural cavities
• Nest size: From a few thousand to over 50,000 individuals
• Honeycomb made of beeswax, hexagonal structure

Nutrition:

• Larvae: Royal jelly (in queens), pollen and nectar
• Adults: Nectar, honey and pollen

Behave:

• Social: Clear division of labor (queen, workers, drones)
• Pollination of plants

Painful stings:

• Honeybee stings can be painful and cause local reactions such as swelling, redness, and severe itching.
• Honeybees can only sting once, as their stinger gets stuck in the skin and the bee dies afterwards.

Allergic reactions:

• Bee stings can trigger severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) in sensitive individuals, which can be life-threatening.
• Typical symptoms: shortness of breath, dizziness, rapid heartbeat, widespread swelling, especially in the face or airways.
• People with known allergies should always carry an emergency kit (e.g., an adrenaline auto-injector).

Toxic effects:

• The sting injects a toxin containing histamine and other irritating substances that can damage tissue and cause pain.
• Multiple stings at the same time can trigger toxic reactions, especially dangerous for children, the elderly, or people with weakened health.

Disease transmission:

• No relevant disease transmissions

No prevention:

• No prevention is necessary, as the honeybee is not a pest and poses no danger to humans if handled correctly.