🐝 Today we are looking at another creature of the dangerous animal list, and it is the Honeybee, not really that dangerous but still they are on the list, so here is some information about them.

Surprisingly, bees send more Australians to hospital than any other venomous creature on average around 1,000 cases annually due to allergic reactions.  Thankfully on average only 3 people may die each year from a bee or wasp sting.

A common reaction to a bee sting is usually local, mild, and short‑lived. Most people experience only normal, non‑dangerous symptoms, even though they can be uncomfortable. If anything, ever feels severe, persistent, or unusual, it’s important to speak with a qualified healthcare professional.

Honeybees are not native to Australia they were introduced from Europe in the 1800’s, they live in large colonies and are honey producers.

Honeybees are one of the most fascinating and important insects on the planet and in Australia, they’re both incredibly useful and the most common cause of insect‑sting reactions.

They build hives in:

• wooden boxes (managed hives)
• tree hollows
• wall cavities
• roofs
• rock crevices

A strong hive can contain 20,000–60,000 bees.

They only sting to defend the hive and do not sting when foraging unless:

• they’re stepped on
• they’re trapped in clothing
• they feel threatened

This is why most stings happen on feet, hands, or arms.

In Australia there are mostly European honeybees, but we also have Asian honeybees which can be found in far north QLD. They are vital for agriculture but can compete with native bees for food. Of course, there are other types of bees such as the Native stingless bees, Native solitary bees (blue-banded bees, teddy bear bees, leafcutter bees, carpenter bees) and then we have wasps yeah, they are not bees but often confused with them.

Most native bees do not make honey and do not live in big hives.