Bees, along with wasps and ants, belong to the order Hymenoptera. Hymen is the Greek word for a membrane, and the name of the order may simply refer to the fact that insects in this order have membranous wings. But Wikipedia points out that "a key characteristic of this order is that the hindwings are connected to the forewings by a series of hooks", and so "another plausible etymology involves Hymen, the Ancient Greek god of marriage, as these insects have married wings in flight."
© Haydn Thompson 2022