Bee

Andrenidae

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Apidae

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Colletidae

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Halictidae

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Heterogynaidae

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Megachilidae

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Melittidae

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Oxaeidae

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Sphecidae

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Stenotritidae

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Bees (Apoidea superfamily) are flying insects, closely related to wasps and ants. They are adapted for feeding on nectar, and play an important role in pollinating flowering plants, and are called pollinators. Bees have a long proboscis that they use in order to obtain the nectar from flowers. Bees have antennae made up of thirteen segments in males and twelve in females. They have two pairs of wings, the back pair being the smaller of the two.

Related Topics:
Insect - Wasp - Ant - Pollinating - Flowering plant - Pollinator - Proboscis - Nectar - Flower

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Bees are fuzzy and carry an electrostatic charge, thus aiding in the adherance of pollen. Bees periodically stop foraging and groom themselves to pack the pollen into specialized pollen baskets which are on the legs of honeybees and some other species, and on the ventral abdomen on other species. Some of this pollen is carried from flower to flower, but the bulk of it is carried back to the nest to feed brood. The apex of the female abdomens are modified into a stinger.

Related Topics:
Pollen - Pollen basket - Species - Abdomen

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There are over 16,000 described species, and possibly around 30,000 species in total. Bees may be solitary, or may live in various sorts of communities. The most advanced of these are eusocial colonies, found among the honeybees and stingless bees. Sociality is believed to have evolved separately in different groups of bees.

Related Topics:
Eusocial - Honeybee - Stingless bee

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