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What Is the State Insect of Kentucky? How Was It Decided?
Pete Ortiz
Last updated:
Kentucky is a state known for many unique and interesting things, such as bourbon, bluegrass, and horses. But what is its state insect? It is no surprise that the state insect has fallen by the wayside amidst a plethora of better-known state symbols.
The state insect of Kentucky is the honeybee. Kentucky has a lot of company as a state that recognizes the honeybee as a vital part of the agricultural process. The honeybee is the official state insect of 17 total states. In Kentucky, the honeybee is a relative newcomer to the scene as an official state symbol, being selected as the state’s official insect in 2010.
How Was It Decided?
The honeybee was chosen as the official insect of the state of Kentucky in 2010 via House Bill 175¹. The bill was originally drawn up to help facilitate the health and prevalence of pollinator colonies on Kentucky’s reclaimed land. The original language did not include anything about a new state symbol. When it became obvious that the bill was extremely popular, the amendment to make the honeybee the official state insect was added before the final vote.
The bill passed unanimously and was signed into law by the governor. The official designation for the honeybee is the state’s agricultural insect. Kentucky has a strong agricultural sector, and honeybees are critical to the overall health of human agricultural activities.
Image Credit: Yod 67, Shutterstock
Honeybee Quick Facts
The scientific name for the standard honeybee is Apis mellifera.
Honeybees live in colonies of 80,000 or more individual insects.
Each colony typically only has one queen.
A queen bee can lay up to 1,500 eggs per day.
Most bees found in the wild are sterile females that are designated as worker bees.
The honeybee is the state insect in seventeen total states.
Honeybees have been around for at least 40 million years and have been evolutionarily the same for 30 million years.
The honeybee is not the only insect to hold a place as a Kentucky state symbol. Kentucky also has an official state butterfly. The official state butterfly of Kentucky is the Viceroy butterfly (Limenitis archippus). The state butterfly was adopted by the state legislature in 1990. Before the arrival of the honeybee, the Viceroy butterfly was a de facto stand in for a state insect. Now, the honeybee is technically the official state insect, and the Viceroy butterfly remains the official state butterfly.
Conclusion
Thanks to their agricultural importance, the honeybee was selected as Kentucky’s official state insect in 2010. The designation was added to a bill that was working to help facilitate pollinator colonies on reclaimed land. The bee population is very important to Kentucky’s famous agricultural sector and is a great choice for the official state insect.
Pete has been working in the trades since high school, where he first developed a passion for woodworking. Over the years, he has developed a keen interest in a wide variety of DIY projects around the home. Fascinated by all sort of tools, Pete loves reading and writing about all the latest gadgets and accessories that hit the market. His other interests include astronomy, hiking, and fishing.
As the founder of House Grail, Pete's primary goal is to help consumers make educated decisions about DIY projects at home, in the garage, and in the garden.
