Discover the Official Maine State Insect

Symbolism is essential in every country, with many countries taking up flags, animals, and plants as a way to represent themselves. Although the individual states of the United States aren’t their own countries, they, too, are no exception to this. As a result, if you take an in-depth look at any of the fifty states, you’ll find that they have chosen certain animals and plants to represent their state. This includes an official state insect. Keep reading below to learn just what the official Maine state insect is.

The Official Maine State Insect

The official state insect of Maine is the honeybee. 

The honeybee officially became Maine’s state insect in 1975. Excluding Maine, the honeybee is also the state insect for 17 other states in the United States. Each state has its own reason for choosing the honeybee to be a symbol of what it means to live in that state. For Maine, the honeybee was chosen because of its importance in Maine’s agriculture industry. 

Species Profile: Honeybees

There are several species of honeybee in the genus Apis. The official Maine state insect is the western honeybee (Apis mellifera). There are also two extinct honeybee species: the giant honeybee (Apis lithohermaea) and a species known as Apis nearctica. There are 31 different subspecies of the western honeybee. 

The western honeybee is the most common of all honeybee species. They are highly social insects. They form colonies with a single fertile female known as a queen. Other females are infertile and make up the “workers” of the colony. There are a few fertile males as well-known as drones. 

The western honeybee can be found on every continent on Earth except for Antarctica. It is native to Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. However, it was introduced to the rest of the world, where the species thrived.