Honey Bees

Honeybees. Known for their production and storage of honey. Honey is a thick liquid produced from the nectar of flowers. Honeybees refine and concentrate nectar to make honey. They make lots of honey so they will have plenty of food for times when flower nectar is unavailable in the winter. Honeybees remain active through the winter, consuming and metabolizing honey in order to keep from freezing to death. Honeybees are social insects. They create elaborate nests called hives containing up to 20,000 individuals during the summer months. Domestic hives may have over 80,000 bees. Each bee belongs to one of three groups--queens, drones and workers. There is only one queen in a hive and her main purpose in life is to make more bees. She can lay over 1,500 eggs per day and will usually live less than two years.