The honeybee originated in Asia around 300.000 years ago, evolving from the ancient predatory wasp that lived 120 million years ago.
It contributes $20 billion to the value of US crop production.
It can visit 5000 flowers in one day.
It must visit 2 million flowers to make a one-pound jar of honey.
Its hairy body and specialized mouth make it an exceptional pollinator, transferring pollen as it collects nectar (sugary solution produced by the flower)
As well as honey, it produces beebread - mix of plant pollen and honey, moulded into granules and stored in honeycombs; propolis or bee glue - used as sealant for unwanted spaces in the hive; beeswax - for building comb for their babies and food; royal jelly - produced by mouth glands of young bees, containing fats and protein and fed to the queen who only needs one teaspoon to survive.
Threatened by pesticides, habitat loss, disease, climate change and industrial agriculture (limited forage diversity)
Three castes of bee - drones (hatched from unfertilized eggs) live up to 8 weeks, their only function to mate with the queen; worker bees (sterile) live for about 6 weeks in the summer and up to 5 months in the winter when they have a better storage of fat); queen bee, the only fertile one in the hive can survive for up to five years, can produce as many as 2000 eggs and during her lifetime have as many as 1m offspring.

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