Bees
What do you already know about bees?
Bees are a type of insect. Their bodies have three parts, a head, a thorax which is the middle part and an abdomen at the end of its body. They have what is called an exoskeleton on the outside of their bodies, which is a hard coating to protect their body.
Bees have two pairs of wings which they use to fly and six legs, which are all attached to the thorax. Female bees have a stinger they use for defence but males do not. Bees are yellow and black and have hairs on their bodies, some have lots and look incredibly fluffy, while some have less and you have to look carefully to see it.
They have antennae on their head which they use feeling and smelling the world around them. Incredibly they have five eyes! They have two big compound eyes on the side of their head that are made up of thousands of tiny lenses. Then three smaller ones above them on the top of the bee’s head. These sense light help the bee stay balanced in the air.
Bees have two stomachs, one they use for eating their food and one they use to transport nectar back to their hive.
There are thousands of different species of bees around the world. In this country we have the Honeybee and lots of different species of Bumblebee. We also have many different species of solitary bees, which are bees that live on their own.
The different types of bees do look quite similar, although there are some obvious differences, for example Bumblebees tend to be bigger and fatter and look quite furry.
Bees don’t hatch out of eggs as little mini bees ready to fly. They go through four stages of metamorphosis like many insects to transform into their final form.
The bees lifecycle starts when a queen bee lays lots of tiny little eggs. They do this with one egg in each section of the honeycomb, called a cell. Out of these eggs hatch white larvae, which are very small worm like grubs. At this stage they have no eyes and don’t move out of the cell they were born in. Worker bees look after them and feed them. The larvae grow quickly and get much bigger.
Once they have grown enough the worker bees seal the cell shut using wax. The larva spins a cocoon around itself and begins the pupa stage of its lifecycle. This is when it transforms into a bee and forms its legs, wings, eyes, and antennae. When ready the bee chews its way through the wax seal on the cell and emerges as a bee.
Queen Bee surrounded by other bees in the hive.
Some bees live in colonies in nests or hives. Depending on the species one hive can have a small number of bees or there can be thousands. They are made up of a queen bee, worker bees and drone bees.
In charge of the hive and the other bees is one queen bee. She lays eggs to create more bees for the colony. Queen bees live for longer than other bees, often for a couple of years. When a queen bee dies, the worker bees create a new one. They do this by by choosing a larva and placing it in a special queen cell. This cell is fed with royal jelly, a special food that helps the larva transform into a queen bee.
The other female bees in the hive are called worker bees. This is because they go and find food, collect nectar and pollen from flowers, help to build and protect the hive as well as looking after the eggs when they hatch. Males bees are called drone bees. They don’t help the worker bees at all! Their only job is to mate with queen bees.
Not all bees make honey, but honeybees do. The bees collect nectar from flowers by sucking it up using their tongue. They then store the nectar in their stomach and when they have enough they will fly back to the hive. The bees then turn the nectar into honey in their mouth and then they store the honey they have made in a waxy honeycomb in their hive. Once in the honeycomb the bees use their wings to dry the honey out a little bit. They do this by flapping their wings. The bees do all this to provide food for the colony during the cold winter months when they can’t get any nectar. Instead of getting nectar from flowers they will eat the honey they created.
Did you know...
A bee covered in pollen.
A bee sucking up nectar from a flower.
Honeycomb made by Honeybees.
What we've learnt...
Bees are insects. They are invertebrates with three parts to their body, six legs, four wings, five eyes and two stomachs!
Bees, like many insects go through metamorphosis, changing from tiny little grubs.
Many bees live in colonies, with a queen ant in charge. When a queen bee dies worker bees create a new one by feeding a larva royal jelly. Other bees are female worker bees and male drone bees.
Honeybees create honey by collecting nectar from flowers.
Bees are incredibly important and help pollinate plants, including crops humans use to create food.
Test your knowledge...
Bees Quiz
If you click the correct answer the box will turn green. If its the wrong answer it will turn red and then show you what the correct answer was. Make sure you read/listen to the questions carefully!
#1. How many eyes do bees have?
#2. Are worker bees…
#3. What type of bee is in charge of the colony?
#4. What food that humans eat do bees make?
#5. What do bees transfer from flower to flower?
Results
I really hope you have enjoyed learning all about bees, with me Flash!
Question Time...
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