Profiles Index

Characteristics: Order Hymenoptera
Hymenoptera means “membranous wings.” The third largest group in the class Insecta, this order includes ants, bees, wasps, horntails, and sawflies.

Honey Bees - Communication Within the Honey Bee Colony
As social insects living in a colony, honey bees must communicate with one another. Honey bees use movement, odor cues, and even food exchanges to share information.

Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
The honey bee, Apis mellifera, is one of several species of bees that produce honey. Honey bees live in colonies, or hives, of 50,000 bees on average. A honey bee colony consists of a queen, drones, and workers. All play roles in the survival of the community.

Ants, Family Formicidae
The social ants serve important functions in the ecosystem. Ants aerate and turn the soil, defend plants, pollinate flowers, and disperse seeds. In places where ants exist, they comprise 15-20% of the terrestrial animal biomass. That's a lot of ants.

Bumblebees - the Genus Bombus
Bumblebees are certainly familiar insects, but there's probably a lot you don't know about these busy bees. Like honey bees, bumblebees of the genus Bombus live socially, with a queen and workers.

Honey Bees - Roles Within the Honey Bee Colony
Each member of a honey bee colony has a specific role. All contribute to the survival of the colony. Queen bees lay eggs, drones mate with the queen, and workers take care of the chores.