is thought that the internal method of carrying pollen via the crop is an ancestral trait compared to scopal transport that other bees perform. Pollination The genus does not possess the same external structures as most other bee species and therefore instead transports pollen and nectar in the crop whilst foraging instead of externally. This makes for an interesting question of whether the species is an effective pollinator as the relative importance of their role as pollinators is unknown. Hylaeus are considered generalist species, foraging on multiple species but have been documented to frequently visit specific plants within their established area. They forage at a high rate of visitation on many plant species and are considered to be an important contributor to pollination. As this species lacks the external features to collect pollen, they pollinate other flowers when they insert their heads into deep throated flowers to harvest pollen and nectar. This results in excess pollen gathering around their head and thorax on their plumose hairs in which they transport to other flowers. These physical attributes raise concerns regarding their effectiveness as pollinators as they are unable to carry the same amount of pollen as other bee species and have been observed not coming into contact with the stigmas to effectively pollinate flowers, thus resulting in pollen theft. Additionally, the Hylaeus forage within short distances of their burrows ultimately resulting in pollen limitations within their environment. To alleviate this issue and increase their foraging efficiency, they specialise with particular species of plants for short periods of time however, when comparing their pollination effectiveness to other pollinator species like the ant, the Hylaeus is not as effective. Contrastingly, a study involving pollination rates within the species Hylaeus matamoko in alpine areas of New Zealand, depicted a significant increase in pollination rate per visit when comparing to other invertebrate pollinators. It is estimated that the species performs 90-95% of the pollination within the alpine area studied with the Hylaeus also making up approximately 90% of foraging activities within their local environment. Multiple literary sources indicate that further studies regarding their pollination effectiveness should be performed for each individual species and their respective global locations to determine if pollination rates change within species and to investigate the effectiveness of the genus as a pollinator. Conservation Nearly half of the Hylaeus species found in Hawaii are under threat, primarily due to loss and alteration