Q. Do Hawaiian Yellow-faced Bees make honey?
A. No, like most solitary bees, Hawaiian Yellow-faced Bees do not make honey. They only collect as much pollen and nectar as they need to provide their eggs with enough nutrition to develop into adults.
Q. Do Hawaiian Yellow-faced Bees sting?
A. Like most solitary bees, Hawaiian Yellow-faced bees avoid stinging unless they are personally in direct danger. They will typically not sting to defend their nest, and even if they are swatted at, or held they rarely sting to defend themselves. I have been stung once by a Hawaiian Yellow-faced Bee that I held between my fingers a bit too long. It hurt less than a honey bee sting, the pain only lasted for about a minute, and there was no swelling or other noticeable reactions.
Q. Do Hawaiian Yellow-faced Bees die when they sting?
A. No, worker honey bees are the only bees that have a barb at the end of their stinger. This barb gets caught under our skin when we are stung by a honey bee worker. When the honey bee worker tries to fly away, the stinger remains under our skin and the bee rips her own abdomen while trying to fly away. This defense mechanism allows the rest of the stinger to remain on our bodies pumping venom into our skin even after the rest of the bee is removed.
Q. How many species of Hawaiian Yellow-faced Bees are endangered?
A. There are seven species of endangered Hawaiian Yellow-faced Bees. These are: Hylaeus anthracinus, Hylaeus assimulans, Hylaeus longiceps, Hylaeus facilis, Hylaeus hilaris, Hylaeus kuakea and Hylaeus mana.