Honey Bees Keith S. Delaplane, Extension Entomologist Honey bees are among the most well-known and economically beneficial insects.
Honey bees produce honey, pollen and beeswax and pollinate many valuable crops.
In Georgia, a large segment of the beekeeping industry specializes in mass-producing bees for sale to other beekeepers. Although many people make a living from bees, most beekeepers are hobbyists with only a few hives. Honey Bees in the New World Honey bees are not native to the New World. Most New World honey bees are descendants of bees brought to North and South America by European settlers beginning in the 1600s. Bees from Europe flourished in North America, but they were poorly suited to the tropics of South America.