Bees (Epifamily Anthophila)

Bees are winged insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their roles in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honeybee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea. They are currently considered a clade, called Anthophila. There are over 20,000 known species of bees in seven recognized biological families. Some species such as honeybees, bumblebees, and stingless bees live in colonies, while >90% such as mason bees, carpenter bees, leafcutter bees, and sweat bees are solitary.

Bees are found on every continent except Antarctica, in every habitat on the planet that contains insect-pollinated flowering plants. Bees range in size from tiny stingless bee species, whose workers are less than 2 mm long, to Megachile pluto, the largest species of leafcutter bee, whose females can attain a length of 39 mm.

Bees feed on nectar and pollen, the former primarily as an energy source and the latter primarily for protein and other nutrients. Most pollen is used as food for their larvae. Vertebrate predators of bees include primates and birds such as bee-eaters. Insect predators include beewolves, dragonflies as well as other hymenopterans.