Why There’s No Such Thing As Wild Honeybees in the US

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Honey Bees Are Not Native To North America

There is no such thing as a truly “wild honeybee” in the United States because the species commonly known as the honey bee (Apis mellifera) is not native to North America—they were imported from Europe by colonists in the 1600s^[1][2].

Before their introduction, honey bees did not exist on this continent, and all of our approximately 4,000 native bee species are very different: most are solitary, do not form large colonies or hives, and do not produce honey or wax in the way that Apis mellifera does^[3][2].

Feral vs Wild Bees

In the U.S. today, all honey bees are considered either domesticated livestock (managed by beekeepers for agricultural pollination and honey production) or, in the case of those living without direct management, “feral” rather than “wild.”

The term “feral” describes populations descended from domesticated stock that have escaped managed hives—genetically, behaviorally, and ecologically, they remain the same imported species as managed bees, not a uniquely adapted wild population^[2][4].

The True Wild Bees of North America

North America does have wild bees, but none are true honey producers or hive-dwellers.

Our native bees live mostly solitary lives in soil or in plant stems, and play unique roles in local ecosystems distinct from the European honey bee^[3][2].

Because honey bees originated elsewhere and have only been on the continent for a few centuries, they are not part of the native North American fauna.

In Summary

“Wild” honey bees in the U.S. are actually feral, non-native animals descended from domesticated bees brought by humans, and North America’s true native bees are entirely different species that do not live in hives or make honey^[3][2][4].

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1. https://www.usgs.gov/faqs/are-honey-bees-native-north-america
2. https://www.nwf.org/Magazines/National-Wildlife/2021/June-July/Gardening/Honey-Bees    
3. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/there-are-4-000-species-of-native-bees-in-the-u-s/  
4. https://www.vox.com/down-to-earth/2023/1/19/23552518/honey-bees-native-bees-decline 
5. https://www.reddit.com/r/askscience/comments/onn25s/if_honey_bees_arent_native_to_north_america_why/
6. https://www.xerces.org/blog/want-to-save-bees-focus-on-habitat-not-honey-bees
7. https://usafacts.org/articles/what-is-the-loss-of-bees-costing-the-us/
8. https://www.xerces.org/bug-banter/saving-bees-why-honey-bees-are-not-answer
9. https://news.illinois.edu/are-honey-bees-wild-bees-still-in-trouble/
10. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/the-problem-with-honey-bees/