The book depicts Maya's development from an adventurous youngster to a responsible adult member of bee society.

Despite Miss Cassandra's warnings, Maya wants to explore the wide world and commits the unforgivable crime of leaving the hive.

Maya, now a heroine of the hive, becomes a teacher like Miss Cassandra and shares her experiences and wisdom with the future generation.

Elements of nationalism also appear when Maya gets angry at a grasshopper for failing to distinguish between bees and wasps (whom she calls "a useless gang of bandits" [Räubergeschlecht] that have no "home or faith" [Heimat und Glauben]) and at a insulting fly, whom Maya threatens to teach "respect for bees" and with her stinger.

[9] After World War II, adaptations toned down the militarist element considerably, and reduced the hornets' role.

In the cartoon series, the briskly marching, but ridiculously incompetent ant armies provide a parody of militarism.

The following characters only appear in the animated series and films: German director Wolfram Junghans made a 1926 silent version ("starring" real insects).

[10] The material was restored in 2005 with a new musical score and released on DVD in 2012, in collaboration with the KAVI and the Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv, and the film was screened in both Hamburg and Helsinki.

The Japanese TV series was preceded by Tokyo Kodomo Club's musical play based on the short story, presented as Mitsubachi Māya ("Maya the Honeybee"), distributed on an LP album.

[17] In 2018, a sequel to the 2014 film, titled Maya the Bee: The Honey Games, was released on March 1 in Germany and May 1 in United States.

[18] Maya the Bee also served as the basis for a children's opera written by the Croatian composer Bruno Bjelinski in 1963.

[20] Singer-songwriter Nancy Harrow created a jazz-musical version of the story, called The Adventures of Maya the Bee, that featured puppets by Zofia Czechlewska.

Notably Studio 100's annual "De Grote Sinterklaasshow" held from late November till early December featuring Sinterklaas and Zwarte Pieten watching various Studio 100 characters such as Kabouter Plop, and Piet Piraat (including Maya and friends) perform musical numbers on stage.

Plopsaland De Panne opened an indoor children's area called "Mayaland" on July 3, 2011, before the CGI incarnation's begun airing on numerous television stations across Europe.