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The bee-eater moves in large flocks during migration. They eat primarily bees and wasps.

Bee-eater

The bee-eater moves in large flocks during migration. They eat primarily bees and wasps.

The bee-eater moves in large flocks during migration. They eat primarily bees and wasps.

Bee-eater

The bee-eater moves in large flocks during migration. They eat primarily bees and wasps.

The tufted Drongo is a great destroyer of bees, (Figuier, 1969).

Drongo

The tufted Drongo is a great destroyer of bees, (Figuier, 1969).

Beehives by an orchard.

Beehives

Beehives by an orchard.

The honey-bee is of European origin, and has long been domesticated.

Honey Bee

The honey-bee is of European origin, and has long been domesticated.

The antenna of the honey-bee.

Honey Bee

The antenna of the honey-bee.

The mandible of the honey-bee.

Honey Bee

The mandible of the honey-bee.

The head of the honey-bee.

Honey Bee

The head of the honey-bee.

The prothorax of the honey-bee.

Honey Bee

The prothorax of the honey-bee.

The tongue of the honey-bee.

Honey Bee

The tongue of the honey-bee.

The mesothorax of the honey-bee.

Honey Bee

The mesothorax of the honey-bee.

The metathorax of the honey-bee.

Honey Bee

The metathorax of the honey-bee.

The abdomen of the honey-bee.

Honey Bee

The abdomen of the honey-bee.

The larva of the honey-bee.

Honey Bee

The larva of the honey-bee.

The pupa of the honey-bee.

Honey Bee

The pupa of the honey-bee.

The pupa of the honey-bee.

Honey Bee

The pupa of the honey-bee.

The worker or infertile female honey-bee.

Honey Bee

The worker or infertile female honey-bee.

The queen or fertile female honey-bee.

Honey Bee

The queen or fertile female honey-bee.

The cells of a bee hive. Note the large, irregular cells are queen cells.

Honey Bee

The cells of a bee hive. Note the large, irregular cells are queen cells.

Beehives

Beehive

Beehives

Bees form colonies in hives. There are different bees for different tasks.

Bee

Bees form colonies in hives. There are different bees for different tasks.

This gooseberry sawfly is a member of the large order, Hymenoptera.

Sawfly

This gooseberry sawfly is a member of the large order, Hymenoptera.

The red ants, here a winged male, are produced in great numbers at particular times of the year.

Red Ant

The red ants, here a winged male, are produced in great numbers at particular times of the year.

The red ants, here a wingless neutered male, are produced in great numbers at particular times of the year.

Red Ant

The red ants, here a wingless neutered male, are produced in great numbers at particular times of the…

The wings of a bee, showing the hooks.

Bee Wing

The wings of a bee, showing the hooks.

A typical digger wasp.

Digger Wasp

A typical digger wasp.

The namaqua bee-eater, native to Western Africa. Its diet consists of insects, particularly bees and wasps, hence its namesake.

Namaqua Bee-Eater

The namaqua bee-eater, native to Western Africa. Its diet consists of insects, particularly bees and…

An African species of shrike, the crested drongo is known for feeding on bees.

Crested drongo

An African species of shrike, the crested drongo is known for feeding on bees.

The scarlet tanager (also known as the black-winged summer redbird, or fire bird) feeds on insects, wasps, hornets, wild bees, beetles, and some berries

Scarlet Tanager

The scarlet tanager (also known as the black-winged summer redbird, or fire bird) feeds on insects,…

"They are said to have originated in Greece, but have since spread all over the world; they live in colonies composed of from ten to thirty thousand neuter or <em>Working Bees</em>, of from six to eight hundred males called <em>Drones</em>, and of a single female, which seems to reign as <em>Queen</em>." &mdash Goodrich, 1859

Honey Bee

"They are said to have originated in Greece, but have since spread all over the world; they live in…

"The queen bee is larger and longer than the other bees; she moves in a slow and majestic manner, and is always accompanied by a guard of twelve workers, an office taken in turn, and never intermitted." &mdash Goodrich, 1859

Queen Bee

"The queen bee is larger and longer than the other bees; she moves in a slow and majestic manner, and…

""The working bee, for collecting wax, enters a flower, the stamens of which are loaded with pollen. This dust attaches itself to the brush-like hairs covering the body of the bee, when, by rubbing itself with the brushes with which the tarsi are furnished, the insect collects it into little parcels, which it places on small palettes, hollowed out on the surface of its hund limbs." &mdash Goodrich, 1859

Working Bees

""The working bee, for collecting wax, enters a flower, the stamens of which are loaded with pollen.…

"The comb is made of wax, found in various plants, but which is also secreted by the bees themselves in organs situated under the abdominal base, and suspended perpendicularly by one of their sides. Empty spaces are left to permit of the bees reaching every part." &mdash Goodrich, 1859

honey-comb

"The comb is made of wax, found in various plants, but which is also secreted by the bees themselves…

"The hexagonal cells for the honey are build upon precisely that mathematical angle which affords the greatest amount of strength with the least waste of material." &mdash Goodrich, 1859

Cells of Honey Bees

"The hexagonal cells for the honey are build upon precisely that mathematical angle which affords the…

"The secretion of wax, it would appear, goes on best when the bees are in a state of repose, and the wax-workers accordingly suspend themselves in the interioir of the hive in an extended cluster like a curtain, which is composed of a series of intertwined festoons or garlands crossing each other in all directions - the uppermost bee maintaining its position by laying hold of the roof by its fore-legs, and the suceeding one by laying hold of the hind-legs of the first, and so on." &mdash Goodrich, 1859

Bees Secreting Wax

"The secretion of wax, it would appear, goes on best when the bees are in a state of repose, and the…

"The <em>Humble-bees</em>, or as they are often called in this country, the <em>Bumble-bees</em> are of many species, but they all resemble the common honey-bee in their habits." &mdash Goodrich, 1859

Interior of the Humble-Bee's Nest

"The Humble-bees, or as they are often called in this country, the Bumble-bees are…

"Bee is the common name given to a large family of hymenopterous or membranous-winged insects, of which the most important is the common hive or honey bee (apis mellifica). It belongs to the warmer parts of the Eastern Hemisphere, but is now naturalized in the Western. A hive commonly consists of one mother or queen, from 600 to 800 males or drones, and from 15,000 to 20,000 working bees, formerly termed neuters, but now known to be imperfectly developed females. The humblebees, or bumblebees, of which over 60 species are found in North America, belong to the genus bombus, which is almost world wide in its distribution. "&mdash;(Charles Leonard-Stuart, 1911)

Drone Bee

"Bee is the common name given to a large family of hymenopterous or membranous-winged insects, of which…

"Bee is the common name given to a large family of hymenopterous or membranous-winged insects, of which the most important is the common hive or honey bee (apis mellifica). It belongs to the warmer parts of the Eastern Hemisphere, but is now naturalized in the Western. A hive commonly consists of one mother or queen, from 600 to 800 males or drones, and from 15,000 to 20,000 working bees, formerly termed neuters, but now known to be imperfectly developed females. The humblebees, or bumblebees, of which over 60 species are found in North America, belong to the genus bombus, which is almost world wide in its distribution. "&mdash;(Charles Leonard-Stuart, 1911)

Queen Bee

"Bee is the common name given to a large family of hymenopterous or membranous-winged insects, of which…

"Bee is the common name given to a large family of hymenopterous or membranous-winged insects, of which the most important is the common hive or honey bee (apis mellifica). It belongs to the warmer parts of the Eastern Hemisphere, but is now naturalized in the Western. A hive commonly consists of one mother or queen, from 600 to 800 males or drones, and from 15,000 to 20,000 working bees, formerly termed neuters, but now known to be imperfectly developed females. The humblebees, or bumblebees, of which over 60 species are found in North America, belong to the genus bombus, which is almost world wide in its distribution. "&mdash;(Charles Leonard-Stuart, 1911)

Worker Bee

"Bee is the common name given to a large family of hymenopterous or membranous-winged insects, of which…

"Bee is the common name given to a large family of hymenopterous or membranous-winged insects, of which the most important is the common hive or honey bee (apis mellifica). It belongs to the warmer parts of the Eastern Hemisphere, but is now naturalized in the Western. A hive commonly consists of one mother or queen, from 600 to 800 males or drones, and from 15,000 to 20,000 working bees, formerly termed neuters, but now known to be imperfectly developed females. The humblebees, or bumblebees, of which over 60 species are found in North America, belong to the genus bombus, which is almost world wide in its distribution. "&mdash;(Charles Leonard-Stuart, 1911)

Royal Cells

"Bee is the common name given to a large family of hymenopterous or membranous-winged insects, of which…

"The Death's-head Moth is the European Acherontia Atropos, a hawk-moth with markings on the thorax resembling a skull or death's head, hence the name. It flies after sunset and emits peculiar sounds somewhat resembling the squeaking of a mouse, produced by the friction of the proboscis against the inner striated coatings of the palpi. It attacks beehives, scatters the bees, and steals the honey."&mdash;(Charles Leonard-Stuart, 1911)

Death's Head Moth

"The Death's-head Moth is the European Acherontia Atropos, a hawk-moth with markings on the thorax resembling…

"The Death's-head Moth is the European Acherontia Atropos, a hawk-moth with markings on the thorax resembling a skull or death's head, hence the name. It flies after sunset and emits peculiar sounds somewhat resembling the squeaking of a mouse, produced by the friction of the proboscis against the inner striated coatings of the palpi. It attacks beehives, scatters the bees, and steals the honey."&mdash;(Charles Leonard-Stuart, 1911)

Death's Head Moth Caterpillar

"The Death's-head Moth is the European Acherontia Atropos, a hawk-moth with markings on the thorax resembling…

"Hornet is the largest species of wasp found in America. The thorax is mostly black; the abdomen is yellow, with three brown points. The sting is very painful. The hornet is a very voracious insect, seizing and devouring bees and other insects, or carrying them to its nest to feed its young. The nest is commonly in some sheltered place."&mdash;(Charles Leonard-Stuart, 1911)

Hornet

"Hornet is the largest species of wasp found in America. The thorax is mostly black; the abdomen is…

Bee on a flower

Bee

Bee on a flower

"Pindar, though the contemporary of Simonides, was considerably his junior. He was born either at, or in the neighborhood of Thebes in Baeotia, about the year 522 B.C. Later writers tell us that his future glory as a poet was miraculously foreshadowed by a swarm of bees which rested upon his lips when he was asleep, and that this miracle first led him to compose poetry. He commenced his profesional career at an early age, and soon acquired so great a reputation, that he was employed by various states and princes of the Hellenic race to compose choral songs." &mdash; Smith, 1882

Bust of Pindar

"Pindar, though the contemporary of Simonides, was considerably his junior. He was born either at, or…

A hornet

Hornet

A hornet

An insect that makes honey.

Bee

An insect that makes honey.

A box or chest, for the reception of a swarm of honey-bees.

Hive

A box or chest, for the reception of a swarm of honey-bees.

There was an old person of Dover, who rushed through a field of blue clover; But some very large bees stung his nose and his knees, so he very soon went back to Dover.

Edward Lear's Rhymes

There was an old person of Dover, who rushed through a field of blue clover; But some very large bees…

A common bee wing.

Bee Wing

A common bee wing.

A lily and a honey bee.

Lily

A lily and a honey bee.

A genus of insects somewhat resembling bees, but differing fromm them in having a more powerful sting, body less bulky, and in not being useful for the production of wax and honey.

Wasp

A genus of insects somewhat resembling bees, but differing fromm them in having a more powerful sting,…

A specific container used to keep bees. People use these containers to collect the bees honey.

Beehive

A specific container used to keep bees. People use these containers to collect the bees honey.

Bees flying out of their hive and towards the ant hill in a miniature zeppelin.

Ants and Bees

Bees flying out of their hive and towards the ant hill in a miniature zeppelin.

"Clear-winged moths, Sesiidae, day-fliers, and looking more like bees, wasps, and ichneumons which they are supposed to imitate." &mdash; Encyclopedia Britanica; 1893

Sesiidae

"Clear-winged moths, Sesiidae, day-fliers, and looking more like bees, wasps, and ichneumons which they…

"The Pyralidina are a group of small moths readily distinguished by their long slender bodies and large forewings. One of these, Pyralis vitis, is very destructive to vines, and another, Pyralis farinalis, feeds upon meal and flour. The Galleridae, a family of Pyralidine moths, deposit their eggs in the hives of bees, where the caterpillars, enclosed in silken cases, devour the wax; but the Hydrocampidae, which also belong to this section, are probably the most wonderful of all Lepidopterous insects, their larva being aquatic, living and feeding in the water, and many of them beathing by gills similar to those of caddisworms." &mdash; Encyclopedia Britanica; 1893

Pyralidina

"The Pyralidina are a group of small moths readily distinguished by their long slender bodies and large…

"The Pyralidina are a group of small moths readily distinguished by their long slender bodies and large forewings. One of these, Pyralis vitis, is very destructive to vines, and another, Pyralis farinalis, feeds upon meal and flour. The Galleridae, a family of Pyralidine moths, deposit their eggs in the hives of bees, where the caterpillars, enclosed in silken cases, devour the wax; but the Hydrocampidae, which also belong to this section, are probably the most wonderful of all Lepidopterous insects, their larva being aquatic, living and feeding in the water, and many of them beathing by gills similar to those of caddisworms." &mdash; Encyclopedia Britanica; 1893

Pyralidina

"The Pyralidina are a group of small moths readily distinguished by their long slender bodies and large…

"The Pyralidina are a group of small moths readily distinguished by their long slender bodies and large forewings. One of these, Pyralis vitis, is very destructive to vines, and another, Pyralis farinalis, feeds upon meal and flour. The Galleridae, a family of Pyralidine moths, deposit their eggs in the hives of bees, where the caterpillars, enclosed in silken cases, devour the wax; but the Hydrocampidae, which also belong to this section, are probably the most wonderful of all Lepidopterous insects, their larva being aquatic, living and feeding in the water, and many of them beathing by gills similar to those of caddisworms." &mdash; Encyclopedia Britanica; 1893

Pyralidina

"The Pyralidina are a group of small moths readily distinguished by their long slender bodies and large…

"The Pyralidina are a group of small moths readily distinguished by their long slender bodies and large forewings. One of these, Pyralis vitis, is very destructive to vines, and another, Pyralis farinalis, feeds upon meal and flour. The Galleridae, a family of Pyralidine moths, deposit their eggs in the hives of bees, where the caterpillars, enclosed in silken cases, devour the wax; but the Hydrocampidae, which also belong to this section, are probably the most wonderful of all Lepidopterous insects, their larva being aquatic, living and feeding in the water, and many of them beathing by gills similar to those of caddisworms." &mdash; Encyclopedia Britanica; 1893

Pyralidina

"The Pyralidina are a group of small moths readily distinguished by their long slender bodies and large…

"The Pyralidina are a group of small moths readily distinguished by their long slender bodies and large forewings. One of these, Pyralis vitis, is very destructive to vines, and another, Pyralis farinalis, feeds upon meal and flour. The Galleridae, a family of Pyralidine moths, deposit their eggs in the hives of bees, where the caterpillars, enclosed in silken cases, devour the wax; but the Hydrocampidae, which also belong to this section, are probably the most wonderful of all Lepidopterous insects, their larva being aquatic, living and feeding in the water, and many of them beathing by gills similar to those of caddisworms." &mdash; Encyclopedia Britanica; 1893

Pyralidina

"The Pyralidina are a group of small moths readily distinguished by their long slender bodies and large…