© 2011 The First Honey Co-operative

Bees are members of a group of insects called Hymenoptera which have two pairs of membranous wings.  The Hymenoptera is one of the largest orders of insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants.  The females typically have a special ovipositor for inserting eggs into hosts or otherwise inaccessible places. The ovipositor is often modified into a sting. Their young develop through complete metamorphosis — that is, they have a worm-like larval stage and an inactive pupal stage before they mature so their life cycle is very similar to a butterfly.

Bees and wasps differ in their diet with wasps helping gardeners by collecting several pests such as caterpillars.  These are chewed up and fed to the young in a nest made of chewed up wood (Papier Mache). Bees feed on nectar and pollen which is carried back to a nest made of wax where it is stored and fed to the young.

Wasps’ nest

Honey Comb

There are three groups of bee:

• Solitary bees -there are over 200  in the UK.

• Bumble bee - the UK has around 25 species.

• The Honey Bee - there is only one in the UK called Apis mellifera L.