Do All Bees Make Honey?

Of all the bees that can be found in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, the honeybee is perhaps one of the ones perceived as least threatening. There are around 20,000 species of bees in the world and only one of them is the honeybee, or Apis Mellifera. So, do all bees make honey? No.

Why Honeybees Make Honey

You may love to eat honey—and so do honeybees! Honey is their food source. Bees collect nectar from flowers and bring them back to their honeycomb hive, passing it to worker bees who chew it until it gradually turns into honey. It takes eight bees their entire lives to make just one teaspoon of honey. It may not sound like a lot, but when there are 20,000 to 80,000 female worker bees in the hive, you can see how the amount of honey adds up, so you don’t need to feel guilty for enjoying a taste every once in a while.

All species of bees don’t need to make honey because that’s not their food source. Bumblebees, for example, eat nectar and pollen. Their colonies are much smaller, so they don’t have the capacity to make the essential honeycomb nest. Carpenter bees also eat nectar and pollen, not wood as many people assume based on the name.

Have a Question? Ask us!

Do all bees make honey? Are all bees endangered? How can I get rid of bees without killing them? As your local pest professionals, we get these questions every day. Call us today at 855-312-7157 to get the answers you’re looking for and for a free pest control quote.