Polylecty

The term polylecty or generalist is used in pollination ecology to refer to bees that collect pollen from a range of unrelated plants.

[1][2] Honey bees exemplify this behavior, collecting nectar from a wide array of flowers.

The opposite term is oligolecty, and refers to bees that exhibit a narrow, specialized preference for pollen sources, typically to a single family or genus of flowering plants.

Roughly two-thirds of bee species in Europe are polylectic, relying on a diverse array of pollen sources.

[7] This broad foraging approach allows these generalist bees to thrive in various environments and quickly adjust to shifting conditions.

A Bombus terrestris collects nectar
Bombus terrestris , an opportunistic generalist, collecting pollen.