Honeybees probably originated some forty million years ago in Africa spreading from southern Africa to Europe and Asia. They were brought into the Americas by entrepreneurial settlers in the early 17 century.
In 1956, a few laboratory swarms of African bees were released into the Brazilian wild, by accident. Initially, there were a few fatal incidents, until the beekeepers quickly learnt how to handle the African bee. Today Brazil and a few other Latin American countries have a thriving beekeeping industry. The African bee mated with the local bee and a new name was coined for the species – the Africanized bee.
Honeybees are social insects interacting in a closely knit, highly organized society capable of providing fully for itself. They build honeycombs from the wax they produce, feed on honey, pollen and royal jelly, sterilize, maintain, protect and defend the hive with propolis.
There are 3 main categories of bees in the hive: a queen bee, drones and worker bees. The queen bee has the longest lifespan and is responsible for reproduction. The drones live between 21-35 days and are tolerated by the bees as long as there is the possibility that one may mate with the queen.
Finally, we have the wonderful worker bees! They make a honeycomb, tend to the young ones, and of course, to the queen, collect propolis and pollen, clean and defend the hive with their lives. They are amazingly productive in their short life span of only about 30 days.
Honeybees are one of the most studied and beloved insect on our planet. As the most important group of pollinators they play a major role in maintaining and preserving a biological biodiversity. It was Einstein no less who deduced that mankind would disappear within four years if the extinction of the honeybee took place.
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