The illustrations were created by Magdalena Lewandowska @koniauke
The presented bees were created by the artist as part of the Great Bee Exhibition and do not represent an exact depiction of the appearance of bees.
Learn the main differences between honey bees and wild bees.
- Honey bee (Apis mellifera). Raised by beekeepers primarily for pollinating large clusters of cultivated plants and for the production of honey, wax, propolis, royal jelly, etc. It is also used in apitherapy.
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It forms a very large colony, ranging from several thousand to even 60,000 individuals.
The colonies are well-organized, consisting of a queen, workers, and drones. -
It is the most commonly recognized bee (often confused with wild bees as well). Its coloration is in shades of brown. It has a stinger. It is not aggressive but may sting in defense of the hive. After stinging, it dies.
- It may be more susceptible to diseases and pests, especially with intensive breeding in large colonies.
An example of this is varroosis, which is a serious threat to honey bees. - Primarily bred for the purpose of pollinating cultivated plants, especially in agriculture, where beekeepers place their hives near fields to increase crop yields.
- They are excellent pollinators.
- The honey bee (Apis mellifera) is not endangered.
- It is exposed to many dangers, such as pesticides or diseases like varroosis. It is bred, so its population size depends on humans, and in case of problems, it also receives assistance, such as feeding and treatment.
- Around the world, approximately 20,000 species of wild bees have been described for science. They do not produce honey, or only in small amounts. They are excellent pollinators (often more effective than the honey bee) of cultivated plants. Specialists in pollinating a wide variety of plant species, they help maintain biodiversity in ecosystems.
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They live in the wild in various environments, such as forests, meadows, or gardens.
They build their nests most often in the ground, in hollow plant stems, as well as in tree hollows, rock crevices, or other natural hiding spots. You can also find them in seashells. -
They are highly varied in appearance, ranging from yellow to brown, red, and purple. They come in different sizes. If they have stripes, these are also diverse depending on the species. They are gentle. Females of all Polish species have a stinger. The absence of a stinger is characteristic of stingless bees, which occur in tropical and subtropical regions.
- They mainly lead a solitary lifestyle, not living in families.
They may organize into small colonies of around a dozen individuals. They can build nests close to each other, but they prefer to independently care for their own nests and offspring. Some species (about 10%) lead a social lifestyle (with a queen and workers), but their families are usually much smaller than those of honey bees. The third group of wild bees consists of so-called cuckoo bees, which do not build nests, and their offspring develop in the nests of other species. Wild bees can form small colonies. -
They are also excellent pollinators, especially in wild ecosystems.
Individual species are less versatile than the honey bee, but when considering wild bees as a group, the different species living in a particular habitat complement each other, making them excellent pollinators of cultivated plants. -
They usually live in more natural conditions, which may reduce their exposure to diseases, but they are not free from threats, such as viral diseases or environmental changes.
- Many species are threatened by a lack of food, places where they can build nests, and a shortage of plants they specialize in.
They often compete for resources with the honey bee, which is why placing hives must be done in the right locations and in the proper quantities.
Important:
All species are important and necessary.
The most important issue is maintaining harmony between the domesticated and natural, wild environments, ensuring safety and space for the development of both spheres.
Placing hives in cities is not necessary. Placing hives on skyscraper roofs does not help the bees, nor does it help us.
The breeding of honey bees works best near large cultivated fields.