Bees are a monophyletic lineage within the superfamily Apoidea, presently classified by the unranked taxon name Anthophila. There are nearly 20,000 known species of bees in seven to nine recognized families though many are undescribed and the actual number is probably higher. They are found on every continent except Antarctica, in every habitat on the planet that contains insect-pollinated flowering plants. Many different types of bees can be found in South Florida including: bumble bees, honey bees, sweat bees, orchid bees, megachilles bees, parasitic bees, miner bees, mason bees, as well as a variety of bee mimics. I would like to give a special thanks to Dr. James Wiley at the Florida Museum of Entomology for helping me tentatively identify the bees on this page.