The bee has been known to the human race for many thousands of years. There is a very old educational painting in a rock shelter in Spain depicting bees. Stone Age man ate honey which he stole from the nests of wild bees. Bees were first kept by man in hollow logs with sticks to support the honey combs. Later man kept bees in straw baskets called 'skeps' and today, bees are kept in standard hives.
Honeybees are social insects.
They live and work together in large groups. Laying eggs is the queen's only function, she does not gather food or build honeycomb. Queens can live for 3 - 4 years and may lay up to 2,000 eggs per day at a peak time. The queen has a smooth curved sting which she uses only to kill rival queens. They live for about 6 weeks in summer and up to 6 months in winter and early spring.