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Bees (June 17, 2005, One)

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Program Summary

How well do you know your bees? There are honeybees, of course, a single hive of which can produce hundreds of pounds of honey a year. And there are big fuzzy bumblebees that pollinate flowers. Hmm, run out of thoughts already? You may be surprised to learn that in America alone there are over four thousand species of bees in the air, on the flowers and hovering around hives. There are sweat bees, stingless bees, Africanized bees, and even carnivorous bees that have teeth!

Do bees bug you? Think about this the next time you hear that telltale humming in the warm summer air--these bugs do more than just buzz. Bees are necessary for the pollination and growth of the nation's crops. Ninety-nine percent of all crops require an outside mechanism for pollination. California alone needs tens of thousands of beehives to pollinate the almond crop.

In this segment, Ira and his guests discuss the buzz on bees--their role in nature, their behavior, their diversity and the latest on what's bugging bee populations around the country and the implications of a decline in bee populations.

Guests

Stephen Buchmann, author of "Letters from the Hive: An Intimate History of Bees, Honey and Humankind" (Bantam Dell, 2005) and founder of The Bee Works in Tucson, Arizona

Keith Delaplane, senior editor of the Journal of Apicultural Research and professor in the department of entomology at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia

Related Links and Resources

PBS's "Scientific American Frontiers": "Natural Born Robots"
Amateur Entomologists' Society Bug Club: Bug Identification
Entomological Society of America

For Discussion:

• Why are bees important? What kind of impact would a reduced population have on an agricultural society?

• Imagine and describe a bee-less earth.

• What are some ways bees communicate? What kinds of things would they need to communicate with each other and with other species?

• Describe the social structure of a beehive. Why is this successful? How does it compare to human societies?

Activities

Buzzybees. For bee basics, check out a great overall look at honeybees from the hive and honey production to bee anatomy, insect society, communication, and defense at Nova's Tales from the Hive. Among other things, this web companion to the PBS show of the same name has some wonderful bee's-eye- view footage of how bees communicate by dance at Dances with Bees. World Almanac for Kids' BEE also has some good information about social structure, nesting habits and different species of bees. All about Science for Families is also a good resource for information about bees and offers related resources and books for further exploration.

Badbugs, goodbugs! Insects We Love to Hate from National Geographic challenges students to look beyond the surface of stinging insects and see the benefits they wield. A fun twist is asking students to imagine themselves "in the shoes" of a stinging insect and to explore the behavior from a different point of view.

A honey of a bug. Honeybees and Pollination from the Arizona Department of Education is specific look into the role of bees and pollination in Arizona ecosystems. Though it is state specific, the overall concepts and approach are engaging and can be applied on a local level.

Bee mine. Partners in Pollination is a three-part lesson plan that offers three interesting activities. Lesson 1 is a nuts-and-bolts approach to the mechanics of pollination. Lesson 2, from Smithsonian Education, is a fun lesson plan that makes the point of how much of our food-one in three bites-is the result of a pollinator partnership. The lesson asks kids to create a "bee-free' barbecue and challenges them to find foods that would be available to them without the role of bees and pollination. Lesson 3 explores the relationship and adaptations between pollinators and the pollinated.

Hive, how are ya? Perhaps the best way to learn about bees is by direct observation. For the brave at heart who are looking to create a glassed-in starter hive for the classroom, The University of Kentucky's Entomology Department's Starting an Observation Hive of Honeybees walks you through getting the right equipment, putting the bees in, placing the hive in the right spot, and caring for the colony. For at-home kits, contact Knox Cellars (www.knoxcellars.com) for books, supplies and more. Knox Cellars started out as a retirement hobby for Brian Griffin, author of "The Orchard Mason Bee."

To bee or not to bee. Students explore the mechanics of pollination in Bees from DiscoverySchool.com. A hands-on experiment/observation of pollination and tomato plants gets the students exploring pollination, cross pollination and food production. Solid suggestions for evaluation plus interesting extension activities such as comparing bee society to human society, evaluating the pros and cons of Africanized bees as well as mapping their worldwide spread, make this an interesting a well-rounded lesson.

Check out these other Kid's Connection pages on insects:
Science Friday Kids' Connection Archives:
May 16, 2003: Jeepers, Creepers: The Spring Bug Show: Bugged by Bugs?
May 16, 2003: Jeepers, Creepers: The Spring Bug Show
October 4, 2002: Mosquitoes and Malaria
July 13, 2001, Insect locomotion
July 4, 2003, Fireflies

Use the search box below to perform a Google search within any of the specifc sites or general domains mentioned in this Activities section.

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