pollen basket
noun
: a smooth area on each hind tibia of a bee that is edged by a fringe of stiff hairs and serves to collect and transport pollen
called also corbicula
Examples of pollen basket in a Sentence
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Known as a pollen basket or corbiculae, these are packed with a mixture of pollen and nectar that is then carried back to the hive by female bees to provide food for colony worker bees and the developing larvae.
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Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 June 2025
In the photo above, the big yellow blob on the bee's haunch is a full pollen basket.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 11 Aug. 2015
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Ernie Cowan, San Diego Union-Tribune, 22 June 2025
In the photo above, the big yellow blob on the bee's haunch is a full pollen basket.
—Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 11 Aug. 2015
Cite this Entry
“Pollen basket.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pollen%20basket. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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