Anthophila is the taxonomic grouping of bees within the Superfamily Apoidea. The grouping is monophyletic, meaning it includes all descendants of its most recent common ancestor (more precisely ancestral population), without exception, and it excludes non-descendants of that common ancestor, also without exception. In simpler terms, it includes all bees and only bees. Some taxonomists consider Anthophila a clade, and some consider it an epifamily. In both systems it is ranked below superfamily and above family.

Increasing scrutiny of the evolutionary history and relationships with Anthophila, supported by ongoing molecular DNA studies, results in a taxonomy that continues to be in flux. New bee species are being described regularly.

Photo by Babette Kis

According to Discover Life bee species guide and world checklist (Hymenoptera: Apoidea: Anthophila), as of 9/20/2024, there are 20,925 described bee species in 162 genera in 7 families worldwide, and 3,649 species in 111 genera in 6 families in North America north of Mexico. According to iNaturalist, there are at least 221 species in 45 genera in 6 families in Minnesota.

Bees occur on every continent except Antarctica. They are found in every habitat that contains insect-pollinated flowering plants. They feed on nectar and pollen, and they collect pollen to feed their larvae. As they do this, they pollinate the plants that they visit, making them important both ecologically and economically. Some species are social and live in colonies, while other species are solitary.

Description

Bees exhibit the following characteristics:

Vision: Bees possess a pair of large compound eyes that cover a significant portion of their heads. Between and above these compound eyes, they have three smaller simple eyes (ocelli) that detect light intensity.
Antennae: Bees typically have 13 antennal segments in males and 12 in females. These antennae are jointed and house numerous sensory organs capable of detecting touch, smell, taste, and even air movement.
Mouthparts: Bees are equipped with mouthparts adapted for both chewing and sucking. They have a pair of mandibles for chewing and a long proboscis for sucking up nectar.
Thorax: The thorax of a bee is divided into three segments, each bearing a pair of sturdy legs and a pair of membranous wings. In many bee species, the hind legs have specialized pollen baskets for collecting pollen. The wings are synchronized during flight, and the smaller hind wings connect to the forewings through a series of hooks.
Abdomen: The abdomen of a bee consists of nine segments, with the last three segments modified to form the sting.


Distribution
		Sources 29, 30.
9/20/2024


Taxonomy
Order	Hymenoptera (ants, bees, wasps, and sawflies)
Suborder	Apocrita (narrow-waisted wasps, ants, and bees)
Infraorder	Aculeata (ants, bees, and stinging wasps)
Superfamily	Apoidea (bees and apoid wasps)

Subordinate Taxa
Family Andrenidae (miner, fairy, allied panurgine, and oxaeine bees) Family Apidae (honey bees, bumble bees, and allies) Family Colletidae (plasterer bees) Family Halictidae (sweat bees) Family Megachilidae (mason, leafcutter, carder, and resin bees) Family Melittidae (melittid bees) Family Stenotritidae (swift and comb-bearer bees)

Synonyms


Common Names
bees

Glossary

Ocellus

Simple eye; an eye with a single lens. Plural: ocelli.


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Bobbi Johnson

… from the garden


Alfredo Colon


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National Park Service Bees
Sam Droege

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These are photographs of bees collected in National Parks (with permits!) from a variety of separate projects. Please feel free to use these photos in anyway you like.

Credits can be listed as USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Laboratory

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Anthophila
guerrilla suite

About

Oct 19, 2016

Oh god, no! Not the bees!

Anthophila
Miguel Sanchez

About

Jul 29, 2018

Bee (Anthophila) Insect Animal 4K Video
BacktoNature

About

Mar 23, 2019

Bee (Anthophila) Insect Animal 4K Video

Bee Scientific Name: Anthophila
Bee Kingdom: Animalia
Bee Phylum: Euarthropoda
Bee Class: Insecta
Bee Order: Hymenoptera
Bee Suborder: Apocrita
Bee Superfamily: Apoidea
Clade: Anthophila
Bee Families: Andrenidae, Apidae, Colletidae, Halictidae, Megachilidae, Melittidae, Stenotritidae

Bees (Anthophila)
TNM Earth

About

Jun 6, 2020

Bees (Anthophila) are flying insects closely related to wasps and ants, known for their role in pollination and, in the case of the best-known bee species, the western honey bee, for producing honey and beeswax. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea.

Why are bees disappearing? @yakfilms x @bathsmusic featuring Anthophila Pollinisation
YAKfilms

About

Apr 22, 2019

Filmed in Los Angeles (California), Sagada (Philippines), Fukuoka (Japan) and Atlanta (Georgia) at the Dragon House! Shot on a Sony FS700 camera.

"Bees perform a task that is vital to the survival of agriculture: pollination. In fact, one third of our global food supply is pollinated by bees. Simply put, bees keep plants and crops alive. Without bees, humans wouldn't have very much to eat." -Elitedaily Sep 15, 2014

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