Today is World Bee Day! This is the fourth time World Bee Day has been observed after the United Nations first designated the 20th of May as World Bee Day to raise awareness about the need to protect bees. As a creature that is a pollinator, bees are critical in the survival of plants and crops species. Bees pollinate plants by moving the pollen produced by the plant’s anther to the plant’s stigma which then produces seeds, making them a vital part of many ecosystems around the world.
The reason the United Nations is drawing attention to bees and their role as pollinators is because they are at risk of extinction. 35% of invertebrate pollinators, including various species of bees, are currently facing extinction. If they were to become extinct, the amounts of fruits, vegetables and nuts would likely decrease due to the lack of pollination and, as a result, our diets as we know them will change. It could also result in more people going hungry in developing nations.
Now that we know more about the important role bees play, you can share these fun classroom facts for World Bee Day with your students!
There are three types of bees
A colony of bees can be broken down into three different types; the queen, the workers and the drones. The queen is the head of the colony. She is responsible for running the hive, guiding the behaviour of the other bees and laying eggs. The workers are responsible for finding and collecting pollen and nectar as well as maintaining the hive. The drones, however, have one simple purpose, and that is mating.
Bees produce the wax they use for their hives
Bees actually make the wax they use to build their hives. Bees develop the ability to produce wax through a gland in their abdomen at around 10 days of age. The bees then chew the wax they’ve produced to give their hive structure. They form the wax into the hexagon shape that is synonymous with beehives and honeycomb.
Bees are attracted to some plants more than others
Bees are drawn to the pollen and nectar in many plants but there are some that are more attractive than others. Some of these plants include daisies, lavender, gum trees, tea tree, bottlebrush, grevilleas, honey myrtle and native rosemary.
We can help the bees at home
There are plenty of ways we as individuals can aid the survival of bee populations. It can be as simple as planting bees’ preferred plants at our homes or minimising the amount of chemicals such as fertilisers and pesticides we use in our garden. It’s also a good idea to provide bees with their own source water in order to keep them hydrated. You can do this by leaving a shallow container of water out in your backyard. However, it is also important to stack rocks or pebbles in the water to provide a landing pad for the bees and prevent them from drowning.
A bee hotel is also a good idea for those who would like to provide solitary bees a home. Solitary bees, which include some native Australian species, do not live in hives with others, preferring to build their own nests in small holes. Bee hotels can be easily purchased, or you could even make one yourself. You could compliment these classroom facts for World Bee Day by building this bee hotel in a woodwork or timber class at school.
We hope these fun classroom facts for World Bee Day have helped you and your class to learn something new and interesting about the humble bee.