pollen basket

American  

noun

1. (of bees) a smooth area on the hind tibia of each leg fringed with long hairs and serving to transport pollen.

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pollen basket British  

noun

1. Technical name: corbicula.  the part of the hind leg of a bee that is specialized for carrying pollen, typically consisting of a trough bordered by long hairs

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Etymology

Origin of pollen basket

First recorded in 1855–60

Example Sentences

And yet they’re able to flop and fly like crazy, hover backwards and forwards, up and down, find their way to flowers, fill up the pollen basket.

From New York Times

If you really take time and watch a bee with a pollen basket, it’s full.

From New York Times

Also note the sting with the poison gland and sack which are pulled out with the sting; also the sucking tube for getting honey from flowers, and the structures on the legs for gathering and carrying pollen; the pollen basket is on the back side of the hind leg.

From Project Gutenberg

Corbicula -um: a concave, smooth space, edged by a fringe of hairs arising from the margins of the posterior tibiae in bees, forming the pollen basket its function is to hold the collected pollen in place.

From Project Gutenberg