How Many Legs Does a Bee Have?

By Staff WriterLast Updated March 25, 2020

Honeybees and bumblebees both have three pairs of legs, for a total of six, connected to their thorax. Each leg is made up of five segments separated by joints. The closest segment to the body, called the coxa, is followed in descending order by the trochanter, femur, tibia and tarsus.

Bee legs are typically equipped with specialized features, such as basket-like hairs for pollen collection, a claw for manipulating objects, a tool for removing pollen from antenna and a pollen press. Bumblebee legs differ from honeybee legs in that bumblebees have pollen baskets, special cavities on their hind legs for the collection of pollen and nectar, and honeybees do not.