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Apoidea
Bee moving from flower to flower. I took this photo just as it prepared to land.
I found this bee in a backyard garden in Southern California
you can see the pollen-carrying scopa to right of its abdomen. It was actually on the hind leg even though the photo makes it look like it was actually on its abdomen.
Hi Yasser, I believe this to be the widespread European Honeybee, Apis mellifera. BugGuide states the bee is characterized hairy eyes, pollen carried in a ball on the legs, and a long radial cell near the front wingtip. There is a funny story behind this little bee. Apis is Latin for "bee", and mellifera comes from Latin melli- "honey" and ferre "to bear"—so consequently the scientific name means "honey-bearing bee". The bee was classified in 1758 by Carolus Linnaeus who, upon realizing the bees do not bear honey, but nectar, tried later to correct it to Apis mellifica ("honey-making bee") in a subsequent publication. However, according to the rules of synonymy in zoological nomenclature, the older name has precedence.
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