Western honey bee, female worker. Stacked macrophotograph of the head of a western honey bee. The western, or European, honey bee (Apis mellifera) is the most common species of honey bee worldwide. Honey bee workers gather pollen into the pollen baskets on their back legs and carry it back to the hive where it is used as food for the developing brood. The image shows the head with a compound eye and the antennae, as well as the sting.