2016-08-12 Fri

On 1st August, New Zealand issued a new coin featuring a honey bee, or Apis mellifera. The honey bee provides honey as well as pollinates flowers and plants which is very crucial. They are known for their organized society of three castes - queen, workers, and drones, who have specific roles.

A Honey Bee can live for two-to-three years and the queens are responsible for reproducing and laying eggs. Almost 20,000 to 80,000 workers live in a hive and have a life span of six weeks. They store nectar, feed larvae, and produce honey. The drone begins its life as an unfertilized egg laid by the queen and mates with the queen. Their life ends after a successful mating flight. If he is unsuccessful, he is thrown out of the hive after the summer season and finally dies of cold or starvation.

New Zealand uses advanced techniques of beekeeping. It was introduced in 1839 as a simple home craft and has developed into a profitable business. The honey bee pollinates almost one-third of everything we eat. New Zealand is famous for different types of honey like pohutukawa, the stronger flavoured kamahi and rewarewa, and the robust jellied manuka honey etc. The country produces nearly NZ $300 million worth of local honey. Bees are under a threat of pesticides and these commemorative coins try to create awareness about their importance.

The six-sided coin is inspired by the shape of a cell of honeycomb. The cells are where nectar and pollen are stored and larvae develop. The coin features three-dimensional engraving and colour printing. The bee is sitting on a honeycomb, with translucent amber-coloured resin which looks just like real honey. The obverse features the common portrait of Queen Elizabeth II along with the year of issue. The mintage limit of the 1 dollar coin is just 1500 pieces and will be available from September.