Types Of Bees

Bees are classified according to common character traits.

- Connal Eardley

Bees can be classified in many different ways. Their taxonomic classification uses shared characteristics that are indicative of relatedness between species, and this is best expressed as an evolutionary tree. However, nest architecture, sociality and floral biology can also be used to classify bees. According to taxonomic classification, any species can only belong to one group. Other classification systems cross taxonomic boundaries, and species groups will differ according to the classification criteria. Buzz pollinators, for example, will include some carpenters and some diggers, but neither all carpenter nor all diggers. The different classification systems have their uses.

Bees identification

South African bees are divided into six cosmopolitan families. Four of them (Melittidae, Colletidae, Andrenidae and Halictidae) are short-tongued bees. They may be able to extend their mouthparts a long way into tubular flowers, but then the entire mouthparts will be elongated and not just the tongue. Two families are long-tongued bees (Apidae, Megachilidae). The South African pollen-collecting bees can all quite easily be placed into families using The Bee Genera and Subgenera of sub-Saharan Africa (http:// www.abctaxa.be/volumes/vol-7-bees/). This booklet can also be used for identifying bee genera and sub-genera.

Bee nests