Mark Moffett / Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) infested with Honeybee Mites (Varroa destructor), the most devestating pest to honeybees worldwide.

Mark Moffett / Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) group infested with Honeybee Mites (Varroa destructor), the most devestating pest to honeybees worldwide.

Mark Moffett / Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) approaching rare Maiapilo (Capparis sandwichiana) flower, Kauai, Hawaii

Mark Moffett / Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) approaching rare Maiapilo (Capparis sandwichiana) flower, Kauai, Hawaii

Mark Moffett / Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) hive brought in by Charlie Brandts, White House, Washington D.C.

Mark Bowler / Honeybees (Apis mellifera) on honeycomb. Scotland, UK, May 2010.

Mark Bowler / Beekeeper smoking a small hive of Honeybees (Apis mellifera). Scotland, UK, May 2010. Model released.

Mark Bowler / Honeybees (Apis mellifera) surrounding their queen bee on honeycomb. Scotland, UK, May 2010.

Simon Colmer / Honeybee (Apis mellifera) collecting nectar from Lavander flower (Lavandula sp), UK, August

Simon Colmer / Honeybee (Apis mellifera) collecting nectar from Lavander flower (Lavandula sp), UK, August

Diane McAllister / Two honey bees (Apis mellifera) battling. One appears to be collecting pollen with its mouthparts from the other bee's thorax. USA, April

Will Watson / Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) pollinating Ivy (Hedera helix). Herefordshire, England, October.

Nick Upton / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) with very tatty, worn wings and dusted with pollen, visiting a Himalayan balsam (Impatients glandulifera) flower. Wiltshire pastureland, UK, September

Nick Upton / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) with heavily laden pollen sacs inspecting unopened Ivy flower buds (Hedera helix), Wiltshire garden, UK, September

Nick Upton / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) combing pollen from its wings after visiting a Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) flower. Wiltshire pastureland, UK, October

Nick Upton / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) combing pollen from the hairs on its thorax after visiting a Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) flower. Wiltshire pastureland, UK, September

Nick Upton / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) heavily dusted with pollen, visiting a Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) flower. Wiltshire pastureland, UK, September

Nick Upton / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) heavily dusted with pollen, taking off from Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) flower. Wiltshire pastureland, UK, September

Nick Upton / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) combing pollen from its antennae after visiting a Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) flower. Wiltshire pastureland, UK, October

Nick Upton / Crab spider (Synema globosa) with Honey bee (Apis mellifera) prey much larger than itself, Corsica, France, May.

David Woodfall / Bee (Apis mellifera) hives in community, part of a peasant economy. Romania, October 2010

David Woodfall / Beekeeper in practical clothing holding a comb of bees (Apis mellifera). Part of a traditional peasant economy and a low key, sustainable way to maintain high quality landscape and wildlife. Romania,...

David Woodfall / Community mobile bee (Apis mellifera) hive in Saxon village. A low key, sustainable way to increase and maintain biodiversity and high quality landscapes. Part of an EEC scheme run by the NGO ADEPT. R...

David Woodfall / Bee (Apis mellifera) hives in community, part of a peasant economy. Romania, October 2010

David Woodfall / Beekeeper in practical clothing holding a comb of bees (Apis mellifera). Part of a traditional peasant economy and a low key, sustainable way to maintain high quality landscape and wildlife. Romania,...

Russell Cooper / Bee killer wasp / Bee wolf (Philanthus triangulum) with Honey bee (Apis mellifera) prey returning to burrow, Wimbledon Common SSSI, South London, UK, September

LYNN M. STONE / Honeybee (Apis mellifora) collecting nectar from Goldenrod flowers in fen, Illinois, USA

Laurent Geslin / Honey bees (Apis melifera) flying in city, Paris, France

Adrian Davies / Colourful Honey bee (Apis mellifera) hives in fields, with mountainous landscape behind, Crete, Greece. July 2010

Adrian Davies / Colourful Honey bee (Apis mellifera) hives in fields, Crete, Greece. July 2010

Adrian Davies / Colourful Honey bee (Apis mellifera) hives in fields, Crete, Greece. July 2010

Adrian Davies / Colourful Honey bee (Apis mellifera) hives. Crete, Greece. July 2010

SINCLAIR STAMMERS / Varroa mite (Varroa destructor) an external parasitic mite that attacks honey bees.

Stephen Dalton / Cross section of Honeybee (Apis mellifera) larvae in cells, UK

Stephen Dalton / Eggs of Honey bee (Apis mellifera) in cells of comb, UK

Neil Lucas / Close up of Honey bee (Apis mellifera) pollinating Sunflower head (Helianthus annuus) in field of sunflower crops, France

Neil Lucas / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) pollinating Sunflower head (Helianthus annuus) in field of sunflower crops, France

Neil Lucas / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) pollinating Sunflower head (Helianthus annuus) in field of sunflower crops, France

Neil Lucas / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) pollinating Sunflower head (Helianthus annuus) in field of sunflower crops, France, July 2007

Stephen Dalton / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) in flight, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honey bees (apis mellifera) on honey comb cells in hive, worker bees and one large drone bee, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) swarm swarming on fence post, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) swarm swarming on fence post, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) adult emerging from cell, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) adult emerging from pupa, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) larvae in cells fed on royal jelly, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) drone (stingless male bee) on human hand, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) worker bees fanning at hive entrance, UK

Stephen Dalton / European Honey bee (Aphis mellifera) collecting nectar from bean flower. England, UK

Stephen Dalton / Eggs of honeybee (Apis mellifera) in honeycomb, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) foraging on fruit tree blossom, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honeybee (Apis mellifera) flying towards camera over Crocus flower, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honeybee (Apis mellifera) taking off from Buddleia flower, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honeybee workers (Apis mellifera) feeding from storage comb. UK

Suzi Eszterhas / Bee Assassin (Apiomerus spissipes) eating Honey Bee (Apis mellifera), Red Corral Ranch, Texas

Doug Wechsler / Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) feeding on Butterflyweed flower(Asclepias tuberosa) Pennsylvania, USA

Konrad Wothe / Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) pair on yellow flowers, Upper Bavaria, Germany

Russell Cooper / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) feeding onIvy flower (Hedera helix) South London, UK

Andy Sands / Apiguard Gel, active ingredient thymol, a naturally occurring substance derived from thyme used to treat Honey bees (Apis mellifera) against varroa mite, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Andy Sands / Honey bees (Apis mellifera) workers at hive entrance, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Andy Sands / Honey bees (Apis mellifera) on frame in hive with capped and un-capped cells and two queen cells protruding from frame, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Andy Sands / Beekeeper using hive tool to dismantle hive ready to inspect Honey bees (Apis mellifera), Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Andy Sands / Beekeeper removing top from Hive ready to inspect Honey bees (Apis mellifera), Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Andy Sands / Beekeeper inspecting frame of Honey bees (Apis mellifera), Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Andy Sands / Beekeeper using smoker to subdue Honey bees (Apis mellifera) prior to inspection, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honey bee {Apis mellifera} worker putting honey in storage comb in hive, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honey bee {Apis mellifera} flying to apple blossom, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honey bee {Apis mellifera} flying towards Apple blossom, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honey bee {Apis mellifera} on Willowherb flower, UK

Laurie Campbell / Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) returning to bee hive, Berwickshire, Scotland, UK, February

Russell Cooper / Flower / Goldenrod spider (Misumena vatia) feeding on Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) London, UK.

Albert Lleal / Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) abdomen and stinger at 14x magnification, Spain

Stephen Dalton / Honeybee (Apis mellifera) in flight, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honeybee (Apis mellifera) flying from Knapweed flower, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honeybee (Apis mellifera) in flight, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honey bee {Apis mellifera} on allium flower, Cyprus

Stephen Dalton / Honey bee {Apis mellifera} over Knapweed flowers, Sussex, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honey bee {Apis mellifera} over Knapweed flowers, Sussex, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honey bee {Apis mellifera} over Knapweed flowers, Sussex, UK

Stephen Dalton / Rear view of Honeybee (Apis mellifera) in flight, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honeybee (Apis mellifera) in flight, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honeybee (Apis mellifera) in flight amongst Rudbeckia flowers, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honeybee (Apis mellifera) in flight, UK

Stephen Dalton / Honeybee (Apis mellifera) flying amongst Rudbeckia flowers

Hanne & Jens Eriksen / Western european honey bee {Apis mellifera} looking up at wild Honey bee nests in forest, India

Mark Bowler / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) worker with pollen sac on back leg

Mark Bowler / Close-up of Honey bee (Apis mellifera) on flower

Mark Bowler / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) on Gebera flower

Mark Bowler / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) on flower

Mark Bowler / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) on flower

Mark Bowler / Worker Honey bee (Apis mellifera) with pollen sac on back leg

Mark Bowler / Two worker Honey bees (Apis mellifera) with pollen sacs on legs

Mark Bowler / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) worker

Mark Bowler / Honey bee (Apis mellifera) on Gerbera flower

Mark Bowler / Honey bee (Apis mellifera)

Mark Bowler / Close-up of Honey bee (Apis mellifera) on flower