The 20th May marks world bee day, an opportunity for all of us to appreciate these little creatures that make our modern food economy possible. Bees are extremely valuable as pollinators and ecosystem services, but they are also fascinating creatures in their own right with complex social structures and communication methods.

Here, we’ve curated our favourite bee-based research from Functional Ecology, as well as some classical bee literature.

• Solitary bee larvae prioritize carbohydrate over protein in parentally provided pollen – Austin et al. 2021, Functional Ecology
• Wildfire alters the structure and seasonal dynamics of nocturnal pollen‐transport networks – Banza et al. 2019, Functional Ecology
• The evolution of colour vision in insects – Briscoe et al. 2001, Annual Review of Entomology
• Experimental warming in the field delays phenology and reduces body mass, fat content and survival: Implications for the persistence of a pollinator under climate change – CarraDonna et al. 2018, Functional Ecology
• An overview of the environmental risks posed by neonicotinoid insecticides – Goulson 2013, Journal of Applied Ecology
• Royalactin induces queen differentiation in honeybees – Kamakura 2011, Nature
• Importance of pollinators in changing landscapes for world crops – Klein 2006, Proceedings of the Royal Society B
• Interacting effects of landscape and management on plant–solitary bee networks in olive orchards – Martínez‐Núñez et al. 2019, Functional Ecology
• The evolution of eusociality – Nowak et al. 2010, Nature
• A mechanistic framework to explain the immunosuppressive effects of neurotoxic pesticides on bees – Pamminger et al. 2018, Functional Ecology
• Evolutionary History of the Hymenoptera – Peters et al. 2017, Current Biology