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What is a "pollen bee" or a "non-apis bee"?

Last Updated: November 10, 2009

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The terms "pollen bee" and "non-apis bee" describes the same thing, which is any bee other then a honey bee. There are numerous types of honey bees, but they all have the genus name Apis. Honey bees are termed "honey bees" because they store large amounts of surplus honey, compared to other types of bees. Bumble bees, blue orchard bees, leaf-cutting bees, and any other type of bee without the genus name Apis does not store as much honey in their nest. They do store small amounts of nectar and pollen. The pollen is usually more apparent in some nests, such as the stick nesting blue orchard bee.

- Michael Wilson, University of Tennessee

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