(1) missing genes are not represented in the current draft honey bee genome assembly but are present in the genome; (2) immune-related genes in the bee have diverged especially quickly at the sequence level and, as such, have escaped annotation based on sequence similarity to other species; (3) honey bees enact immune responses using pathways and/or components not currently identified as immune players in other insects; (4) honey bees are targeted by a small set of coevolved pathogens and their immune systems are thereby tuned to these pathogens at the expense of being responsive to a wider range of threats; and (5) 'social' defences and barriers in honey bee colonies are effective in reducing pathogen pressure and, as such, bees are not as reliant as other insects on individual immune responses.