worker bee vs worker

worker bee and worker both are nouns.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
worker bee	Yes	No	No	No
worker	Yes	No	No	No

As nouns, worker is a hypernym of worker bee; that is, worker is a word with a broader meaning than worker bee:

worker bee: sterile bee specialized to collect food and maintain the hive
worker: sterile member of a colony of social insects that forages for food and cares for the larvae

worker bee (noun)	worker (noun)
sterile bee specialized to collect food and maintain the hive	sterile member of a colony of social insects that forages for food and cares for the larvae
	a person who works at a specific occupation
	a member of the working class (not necessarily employed)
	a person who acts and gets things done