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 Honey Bee
Honey Bee, a common name for any of several species of highly social bees known for their honey-hoarding behavior and their use as a domesticated species. The European honey bee is important in modern agriculture and in nature, providing pollination for many valuable crops and wild plants. It is native to Asia and the Middle East and was introduced to North America by early European colonists. By the mid-1800s honey bees had become widespread. Today, they are naturalized on every continent except Antarctica. Honey bees can be easily reared, are adaptable to many climates and to laboratory conditions, and have a complex social life. They are among the most studied and best known insects.  Diversity
In addition to the familiar European honey bee, there are six other recognized species of honey bees, including the Indian Honey Bee, Koschevnikov's Honey Bee, the Dwarf Honey Bee, the Andreniform Dwarf Honey Bee, the Giant Honey Bee, and the Mountain Giant Honey Bee. The European, the Indian, and to some extent the Dwarf Honey Bees are the species that have been domesticated, although the European Honey Bee is by far the most widespread domesticated bee and the only species kept in North America. There are many races of the European Honey Bee. The ones most popular in modern beekeeping are the Italian, Carniolan, and Caucasian. Most honey bees used in hives today are mixtures of these and sometimes other races. Africanized Honey Bees, also known as killer bees, are a hybrid of African and European races naturalized in the western hemisphere.
 Social Organization
The honey bee is a social insect that can survive only as a member of a community, or colony. The colony inhabits an enclosed cavity, its nest. Domesticated colonies are kept in artificial containers, usually wooden boxes, known as hives.
Castes
The honey bee community consists of three structurally different forms-the queen (reproductive female), the drone (male), and the worker (non reproductive female). These castes are associated with different functions in the colony; each caste possesses its own special instincts geared to the needs of the colony.
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