The Bee's Knees

Did you know?

The bee's knees, a phrase which means the height of excellence, became popular in the USA in the 1920s and is still used today.

The bee's corbiculae, or pollen-baskets, are located on its tibiae (midsegments of its legs - knee area). Included in the tibia is the auricle, part of the pollen press, which worker honey bees use to press pollen together before it is pushed up into the pollen basket (the corbicula). If you buy bee pollen and find it in little balls, the bee's knees did that. The bee's knees area is, while small, very crucial for the success of the foraging bee.

Some people think that this phrase is so cool, they have gotten bees tattooed on their knees!