Western honey bee Apis mellifera
At pond’s edge, I share a moment with the sisters sipping cool water
Honey bee workers live with thousands of sisters, hundreds of indolent brothers and their mother, the queen. While foraging on flowers, a honey bee has little time to bother with people, but she will sacrifice her life defending her hive from an intruder ’ s threat. She dies after only one sting – the stinger remains in your skin and pulls out some of her guts. Quickly remove a stinger from your skin – it continues to pump venom for up to a minute – and monitor for symptoms of an allergic reaction. In the 1700s, colonists introduced honey bees to North America; in Virginia today, these bees share pollination work with 460 species of native bees.
Patty Kennedy Hudson Western European Honeybee Acrylic on panel 12 x 12 $300
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