Hobbies And Interests
European Honeybee
The primary honeybee of Virginia is the European honeybee, or Apis mellifera, which is one of the most common bees in the United States. This bee is also known as the western or common honeybee. In order to produce honey, European honeybees fly to flowers, collect the plant's nectar and fly back to the hive. Once these bees store nectar at the hive, they use their enzymes to break down the nectar's sugars until it forms into honey. According to Virginia Tech University, the population of managed European honeybee hives have decreased almost 50 percent since the 1980s because of mite infestations of the hives.
Bumblebee
Bumblebees, or Bombus impatiens, are one of the largest bee species found in Virginia, growing up to .75 to 1.5 inches as adults. This species of bees are more aggressive than other Virginia bee species. Unlike honeybees, bumblebees do not lose their stinger when they sting and are prone to sting several times. Before they defend themselves, bumblebees will raise one of their middle legs as a warning to humans or potential predators. The abdomen of a bumblebee is larger than its thorax and the bumblebee's head is smaller than the thorax region.
Carpenter Bee
Virginia is home to the Xylocopa genus of bees, more commonly known as carpenter bees. These bees are slightly larger than honeybees and have a hairy appearance. Carpenter bees have a similar body structure to bumblebees. However, the top of carpenter bees' thoraxes and abdomens are solid black with no hair as opposed to bumblebees, which have yellow markings. These bees are called carpenter bees because they primarily nest in wooden structures such as trees and human housing. Carpenter bees are able to chew through wood to make room for hives. Carpenter bees have male and female species, unlike European honeybees.
Stingless Bee
Also known as Meliponines, stingless bees are closely related to honeybees and similar in size. These bees differ from other bees, though, because of the size of their stinger. The stinger of stingless bees is small and does not cause any harm to humans. When developing a nest, stingless bees search for tree hollows, underground tunnels and human households as possible sites. Contrary to honeybees, the amount of food given to larvae determines which larvae will become queen bees, not the "royal jelly" provided by queen bees. In Virginia, stingless bees are primarily used for beekeeping purposes and not proliferate in the wild. These bees are native to South and Central America.