The Apinae are the

subfamily In biological classification, a subfamily (Latin: ', plural ') is an auxiliary (intermediate) taxonomic rank, next below family but more inclusive than genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classifica ...

that includes the majority of

bee 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 honey bee, for producing honey. Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfami ...

s in the family

Apidae Apidae is the largest family within the superfamily Apoidea, containing at least 5700 species of bees. The family includes some of the most commonly seen bees, including bumblebees and honey bees, but also includes stingless bees (also used for ...

. It includes the familiar " corbiculate" (pollen basket) bees—

bumblebee A bumblebee (or bumble bee, bumble-bee, or humble-bee) is any of over 250 species in the genus ''Bombus'', part of Apidae, one of the bee families. This genus is the only Extant taxon, extant group in the tribe Bombini, though a few extinct r ...

s, honey bees,

orchid bees The tribe Euglossini, in the subfamily Apinae, commonly known as orchid bees or euglossine bees, are the only group of corbiculate bees whose non-parasitic members do not all possess eusocial behavior. Description Most of the tribe's species ...

, stingless bees,

Africanized bee The Africanized bee, also known as the Africanized honey bee and known colloquially as the "killer bee", is a hybrid of the western honey bee (''Apis mellifera''), produced originally by crossbreeding of the East African lowland honey bee (''A. ...

s, and the extinct genus '' Euglossopteryx''. It also includes all but two of the groups (excluding

Nomadinae Nomadinae is a subfamily of bees in the family Apidae. They are known commonly as cuckoo bees. This subfamily is entirely kleptoparasitic. They occur worldwide, and use many different types of bees as hosts. As parasites, they lack a pollen-carr ...

and Xylocopinae) that were previously classified in the family

Anthophoridae Apidae is the largest family within the superfamily Apoidea, containing at least 5700 species of bees. The family includes some of the most commonly seen bees, including bumblebees and honey bees, but also includes stingless bees (also used for ...

. Most species in the subfamily (other than honey bees, bumblebees, and stingless bees) are solitary, though several of the

tribes The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in part due to confli ...

are entirely kleptoparasitic, such as the

Ericrocidini The Ericrocidini are a tribe of apid bees. Genera *'' Acanthopus'' *'' Aglaomelissa'' *'' Ctenioschelus'' *'' Epiclopus'' *'' Ericrocis'' *'' Hopliphora'' *'' Mesocheira'' *'' Mesonychium'' *'' Mesoplia'' References * C. D. Michener (2000) '' ...

Isepeolini The Isepeolini are a tribe of apid bees. Genera *'' Isepeolus'' *'' Melectoides'' References * C. D. Michener (2000) ''The Bees of the World'', Johns Hopkins University Press. Apinae Bee tribes {{Apinae-stub ...

Melectini The Melectini are a tribe of medium- to large-sized apid bees found essentially worldwide. They are brood parasites of the related typical digger bees (Anthophorini) and occasionally visit flowers e.g. in prairie landscapes of the United States ...

Osirini The Osirini are a tribe of cleptoparasitic apid bees, all but one genus exclusively from the Neotropics, and laying their eggs in the nests of bees in the apid tribe Tapinotaspidini; the one exceptional genus is '' Epeoloides'', which has one ...

, Protepeolini, and Rhathymini.

Behaviors

Certain behaviors are known from members of the Apinae that are rarely seen in other bees, including the habit of males forming "sleeping aggregations" on vegetation - several males gathering on a single plant in the evening, grasping a plant with their jaws and resting there through the night (sometimes held in place only by the jaws, with the legs dangling free in space). Also known from Apinae is the habit of gathering floral oils instead of

pollen Pollen is a powdery substance produced by seed plants. It consists of pollen grains (highly reduced microgametophytes), which produce male gametes (sperm cells). Pollen grains have a hard coat made of sporopollenin that protects the gametop ...

for use as a larval food; this behavior is otherwise known only from a few lineages in the family Melittidae.

References

External links

BugGuide.Net: Subfamily Apinae—Honey, Bumble, Long-horned, Orchid, and Digger Bees
— Images by tribe {{Taxonbar, from=Q37204 Bee subfamilies