Family overview
Hairy bodies (often branched hairs) for carrying pollen. Long tongues. Pollen baskets on hind legs in many species. Major includes Apini (honey bees), Bombini (bumble bees), Xylocopini (carpenter bees), and Meliponini (stingless bees).
Apis mellifera pollinates roughly 1/3 of food crops globally — the single most economically valuable insect.
At a glance
Family facts.
Distribution
Worldwide
Habitat
Terrestrial · Plants
Approx. species
5,700
Notable members
Western honey bee (Apis mellifera), bumble bees, eastern carpenter bee