There are about 20,000 known species of bee, in 9 recognized families.

Colonies of honey bees are long-lasting and may live for many years. The population of a healthy colony in mid-summer can average between 40,000 and 80,000 bees.

The male bees – drones – do not have stingers, and do not forage for nectar or pollen. Their only role is to fertilize a new queen. They die immediately after mating as this process requires from them a fatally convulsive effort. The drones are turned outside in autumn to die since their reproductive role is over.

Queen bee is an adult, fully sexually developed female, the mother of all the bees in the hive. The queens are developed from larvae selected by worker bees and fed only on royal jelly, a substance secreted by the workers that is high in protein, in order to become sexually mature. Adult queens are overweight and unable to fly. The average lifespan of the queen is three to four years.

Worker bees are not fully sexually developed females, they do not mate with drones, and their purpose is to forage for nectar and pollen. Their ovulation is inhibited by hormonal signals given by a queen bee. They usually die when their wings are worn out after approximately 500 miles (805 km) of flight.

Honey bees communicate with the language of communicative dances. For instance, they direct other bees to food sources through the round dance and the waggle dance.

The bee's venom contains an alarm pheromone which stimulates other bees to attack.