Information about bees?

Beesare flyinginsectsclosely related towaspsandants, known for their role inpollinationand, in the case of the best - known bee species, theEuropean honey bee, for producinghoneyandbeeswax.

Bees are amonophyleticlineage within the superfamilyApoidea, presently considered as acladeAnthophila.

There are nearly 20, 000 known species of bees in seven to nine recognized families, [1]though many are undescribed and the actual number is probably higher.

They are found on every continent exceptAntarctica, in every habitat on the planet that contains insect - pollinatedflowering plants.

Some species includinghoney bees, bumblebees, andstingless beeslivesociallyin colonies.

Bees are adapted for feeding onnectarandpollen, the former primarily as an energy source and the latter primarily forproteinand other nutrients.

Most pollen is used as food forlarvae.

Beepollinationis important both ecologically andcommercially ; the decline in wild bees has increased the value of pollination by commercially managed hives of honey bees.

Bees range in size from tinystingless beespecies whose workers are less than 2 millimetres (0.

08in) long, toMegachile pluto, the largest species ofleafcutter bee, whose females can attain a length of 39 millimetres (1.

54in).

The most common bees in the Northern Hemisphere are theHalictidae, or sweat bees, but they are small and often mistaken for wasps or flies.

Vertebrate predators of bees include birds such asbee - eaters ; insect predators includebeewolvesanddragonflies.

Humanbeekeepingor apiculture has been practised for millennia, since at least the times ofAncient EgyptandAncient Greece.

Apart from honey and pollination, honey bees producebeeswax, royal jellyandpropolis.

Bees have appeared in mythology and folklore, again since ancient times, and they feature in works of literature as varied asVirgil'sGeorgics, Beatrix Potter'sThe Tale of Mrs Tittlemouse, andW.

B. Yeats's poemThe Lake Isle of Innisfree.

Bee larvae are included in the Javanese dishbotok tawon, where they are eaten steamed with shreddedcoconut.