About Japanese Honey Bees

The average length of Japanese honey bees is similar to that of the European honey bees. The worker bees have an average length of half an inch. As in other types of bees, the queens are larger than the workers and drones. The physical features of Japanese honey bees differ according to the class of the caste they belong to. Just like European honey bees, Japanese honey bees have bands. However, the bands of Japanese honey bees are more distinct than that of their European counterparts.  The worker Japanese honey bees have four bands, while the European counterparts have three bands.

Japanese honey bees exhibit a unique behavior, as part of their defensive strategies. They practice bee balling, a behavior that they use to protect themselves from predators. With bee balling, large numbers of bees surround the predator and produce heat. The heat rises to a lethal extent for the predator. However, this heat has little to no effect on the bees themselves.

The temperature the bees produce from balling can rise up to 117 degrees Fahrenheit. They especially practice bee balling against the Japanese giant hornet. They produce heat by vibrating their flight muscles. Japanese honey bees have a diet that includes honey, pollen, nectar, and royal jelly. Royal jelly is a major part of the diet of the larval queens as well as the adult queens. The workers mostly feed on nectar and pollen. Generally, honey is a major part of the diet of Japanese honey bees.

These bees are excellent pollinators. Their excellent pollinating abilities are linked to the fact that they forage within a small distance. The bees typically get pollen and nectar from an established small area. With such a foraging pattern, they can easily transfer pollen between plants in the area and cause pollination. The more time insects spend in an area, the higher the tendency of pollination. This is what happens with the Japanese honey bees and makes them great pollinators.