A group of bees is called a colony, one of the most widely used and accurate collective nouns in the animal kingdom. A bee colony operates like a self-sufficient little town, with a queen at the center, worker bees handling every job from foraging to construction, and drones playing their own role in the hive’s survival.
The term “colony” fits perfectly: like a human settlement, a bee colony is organized, industrious, and built for the long haul. A single hive can house tens of thousands of bees, all working together toward the shared goal of keeping the group alive and thriving.
Bees also go by other collective nouns depending on context, including a swarm of bees (when they’re on the move), a hive of bees (referring to their home), and even a grist of bees, an older, less common term rooted in beekeeping tradition.