Corbicula

Definition

A corbicula is a polished, slightly concave area on the outer face of the hind tibia, fringed with long curved hairs. The bee moistens collected pollen with nectar and packs it into a dense pellet held in place by those hairs, which is why a honey bee's load looks like a neat coloured lump rather than a dusting. Only four bee groups have it — honey bees, bumblebees, stingless bees and orchid bees — and they are collectively called the corbiculate bees.

Where the word gets used loosely

The efficiency of the corbicula is often presented as making honey bees superior pollinators. It does the opposite: a wetted, tightly packed pellet does not fall off, so proportionally less of what a honey bee collects reaches the next flower. Honey bees matter for pollination through sheer numbers and manageability, not per-visit efficiency.

Guide records that discuss this

• Bee pollen: the colony's proteinPollen packed into pellets with nectar and enzymes, and the entire protein supply of a colony. Nutritionally real, nutritionally unremarkable at the doses people take, and not a treatment for hay fever.