Scientific Name: Apis mellifer
Family: Apidae
Native Range: Europe, naturalized throughout North America, Pennsylvania
Size: Medium, 10 – 15 mm (0.4 – 0.6 in)*
Nest: Social, colony*
Nesting Location: Human-made hives, tree cavities, tree limbs or branches*
Nest Materials: Hexagonal cells of wax*
Active: Early spring – late fall*
Color and Appearance: Black with golden hairs*
Pollen Collection: Pollen baskets on hind legs (coriculae)*
Flight Distance: ~ 2 miles, 3.2 km*
*From Heather Holm, Pollinators of Native Plants: Attract, Observe and Identify Pollinators and Beneficial Insects with Native Plants. Minetonka: Pollination Press, LLC, 2014., p. 267.
Honey Bee on Ohio Spiderwort Honey Bee on Cup Plant Honey Bee and Skipper on Mountain Mint Honey Bee on Anise Hyssop Honey Bee on Asiatic Day Flower Honey Bee on Autumn Sedum