ANIMAL SPECIES:Honey Bee
Australia's early European settlers introduced Honey Bees to ensure a good supply of honey.
Size range
1.3 cm - 1.6 cmDistribution
Honey Bees are found throughout Australia.
Habitat
Honey Bees live in urban areas, forests and woodlands, heath.
Behaviour and adaptations
Other behaviours and adaptations
Australia's early European settlers introduced Honey Bees to ensure a good supply of honey. Naturally a few escaped and they are now wild throughout most of Australia's southern States. Honey Bees play an important role as pollinators of crops and wild flowers. But some wild flowers have suffered from the presence of Honey Bees as these flowers can only be pollinated by native bees. Some native bees use a special pollination technique required by certain flowers called buzz pollination. Honey Bees do not use this technique and remove pollen without pollinating the flowers.
Honey Bees defend their nest aggressively. If a bee is driven to sting, the action is fatal as it rips out the bee's lower abdomen. The sting, with venom gland pumping, is left in the victim.
Living with us
Danger to humans and first aid
Honey Bee stings are barbed and, when a person is stung, the sting (with venom gland attached) will stick in the skin and tear away from the bee. This injury kills the bee, but the venom gland continues to pump venom through the sting, so it should be removed as soon as possible. Do not squeeze it as this will force more venom into the wound. The sting is best removed by scraping it out with a fingernail.
Most Honey Bee stings cause intense local pain and swelling. However, if a victim is allergic to bee venom, a sting may cause more general symptoms. Most seriously, these can include difficulty breathing and collapse. If a person is known to be allergic to bee venom, the sting should be removed and a pressure immobilisation bandage should be immediately applied. Seek medical attention.
If you find a swarm of bees, do not approach it. Contact your local beekeepers' association or look up under 'Bee and Wasp Removal' in the Yellow Pages.
Classification
- Species:
- mellifera
- Genus:
- Apis
- Subfamily:
- Apinae
- Family:
- Apidae
- Superfamily:
- Apoidea
- Suborder:
- Apocrita
- Order:
- Hymenoptera
- Class:
- Insecta
- Subphylum:
- Uniramia
- Phylum:
- Arthopoda
- Kingdom:
- Animalia
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Honey Bee Apis mellifera View full size
Andrew Donnelly
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