The Honey Bee: Amazing Insect Engineer

The beehive, home to the honeybee, is built around an iconic structure: the honeycomb. This amazing construction is a mathematically perfect matrix of hexagons that optimizes spatial coverage while minimizing the amount of construction material required for building'a feat of engineering efficiency that is virtually unmatched.

Apis mellifera, the species of honey bee found in Canada, is an important pollinator. To create 500 grams of honey, a honeybee must collect nectar from approximately one million flowers - an astonishing ratio that means that the honey bee, not native to Canada but introduced here about 300 years ago, plays a critical role in natural andcommercial plant propagation. But the honey bee's amazing talentsextend far beyond this vital task.

This coin is the first issue of the Animal Architects collection.
The first coin of the series, released in April 2013, depicts the Bee and Hive.
The second coin of the series, released in October 2013, depicts the Spider and web.
The third and the last coin of the series, released in June 2014, depicts the Caterpillar and chrysalis.

ANIMAL ARCHITECTS - BEE AND HIVE - 2013 CANADIAN COINS 01 is categorised COINS AND PAPER MONEY / 08- ROYAL CANADIAN MINT / 10- FLORA, FAUNA & NATURE and sold by l'Imaginaire, a store and specialised website.