Why Honey Bee is Two Words
Regardless of dictionaries, we have in entomology a rule for insect common names that can be followed. It says: If the insect is what the name implies, write the two words separately; otherwise run them together. Thus we have such names as house fly, blow fly, and robber fly contrasted with dragonfly, caddicefly, and butterfly, because the latter are not flies, just as an aphislion is not a lion and a silverfish is not a fish. The honey bee is an insect and is preeminently a bee; “honeybee” is equivalent to “Johnsmith.”
—From Anatomy of the Honey Bee by Robert E. Snodgrass
State Insects
The non-native European Honey Bee is the state insect of:
- Arkansas
- Georgia
- Kansas
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Nebraska
- New Jersey
- North Carolina
- Oklahoma
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Vermont
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
Not one native bee is a state insect. The closest relative of a North American native bee to make the list is the Tarantula Hawk Wasp, the state insect of New Mexico.
Update! Minnesota now has a state bee as well as a state insect. Bombus affinis, the Rusty-Patched Bumble Bee, has been so honored. Good work, Minnesota!
Where Are Your Hives?
Beekeepers are everywhere. Each time someone visits Honey Bee Suite, his or her location will appear on the map.
Comments
Hey Rusty …. why when I click on your e-mail it doesn’t go to article like it used to? Don’t like the changes.
Lyn,
I assume you mean the Feedburner subscription? That should not have been affected by the theme change. I just checked it from here and I didn’t see a problem–it went right to it. I’ll try to find out if others are having that problem.
I get the same as Lyn. I click “more” on this post, but it does not go to the article.
Thanks, Jim, but I’m confused. It couldn’t be on the Feedburner e-mail because that hasn’t gone out yet today. (It goes out between 5 and 7 pm Pacific Time.) So exactly what are you clicking on? Is it a RSS feed? Or something else? Is it in your e-mail? I won’t be able to fix it unless I know where the problem is. More info would be greatly appreciated!
Rusty –
Your post
” What is not good for the swarm is not good for the bee.
Posted: 19 Jan 2013 10:24 PM PST”
links to the following page where only the quote appears.
If this is all that should appear, then all is well, else something is amiss – perhaps this is what folks are having trouble with?
https://www.honeybeesuite.com/marcus-aurelius-antoninus/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+HoneyBeeSuite+%28Honey+Bee+Suite%29
Marja,
I think you solved it. It’s a new post format called “quote” and that’s all it is—just a quote. This is the first time I tried it, so I didn’t know it would be confusing.
Thanks for your help.
Great quote…
This quote reminds me of my greatest problem….trying to stop the hives from swarming! When we first started keeping bees they usually didn’t swarm until July or August, but the last few years they tend to swarm in April or May. When they swarm this early we don’t get much honey to sell at the markets. I have read some methods to keep them from swarming…most involve finding and containing the Queen…which i must admit i have no talent at. That lady is so hard to find sometimes!….any thoughts on the subject of finding “her highness” or stopping early swarming?
Jean,
Here’s a post on finding your queen: https://www.honeybeesuite.com/how-to-find-your-queen-bee-b6wnvmuxbvk6/. There are many on swarm prevention; try using the search box.
Can you tell me what it mean please.
Coco,
It means that an individual bee cannot survive without its colony. So whatever harms the swarm (or colony) will harm the individual bee.