Beautiful Buzzing Bees
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Welcome to the world of bees.
We love bees so much that this had to be our first Faerie School topic. We hope you get a buzz from learning about bees. |
Bee class
This is a journey into the world of bees.
Take the time to enjoy getting to know bees a little better.
Read the words, watch the videos then run through the fun activities.
As you work your way down you'll discover so much about the bees, how to live and what they do to help our planet.
Perhaps you'll see bees a little differently after you know more about them.
Take the time to enjoy getting to know bees a little better.
Read the words, watch the videos then run through the fun activities.
As you work your way down you'll discover so much about the bees, how to live and what they do to help our planet.
Perhaps you'll see bees a little differently after you know more about them.
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What you'll learn about bees
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Hello Bees
Fun Bee facts
- There are around 20000 different bee species in the world
- Bees can live in large colonies that have a queen, drones and worker bees
- Bees make honey to feed their babies and to store food for winter
- Their wings flap 11,000 times per minute, which is why it sounds like they are "buzzing"
- Honeybees can only sting once because their stingers are barbed and tear off when they try to get away.
- Honey never goes bad. While excavating Egypt’s pyramids, archaeologists found pots of honey dating back approximately 3,000 years- and still perfectly edible.
We find bees buzzing around everywhere. Moving from flower to flower looking for food, they also help plants as they buzz around too. This is called symbiosis, meaning working in harmony.
Some people are scared of bees because they sting. This is understandable, a bee sting can hurt very much. Unfortunately this makes bees not very well liked.
Let's look at bees and see if we can understand them more.
Some people are scared of bees because they sting. This is understandable, a bee sting can hurt very much. Unfortunately this makes bees not very well liked.
Let's look at bees and see if we can understand them more.
The magic of bees
The Queen BeeA Faerie Tale collected by Brothers Grimm from Germany. I love this tale as it shares how we should never under estimate the smallest of creatures and that there is strength and wisdom in compassion.
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Symbology of bees
Once upon a time, bees were associated with Kings, until they discovered the king-bee was in fact a queen. Then bees became linked to the Great Goddess, called the Queen Bee, representing support and fertility. Bee’s ability to create honey from flowers makes them otherworldly. Honey is sweet yet beneficial for healing, so it is associated as the food of gods in many cultures. In Ireland people drink mead, the drink of immortality, that is made with honey. So bees are protected by law.
To the Celts, the bee represents secret wisdom from the otherworld. In Greek mythology bees are connected to Zeus, who was born in a cave sacred to bees and was nourished by honey. The Eleusis and Ephesus priestesses of ancient Greece were called Bees. |
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Can you draw a bee?
Click on the file to download your drawing grid | ||
Life Cycle of Bees
Life cycle of bees
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Bees are insects.
A bee is like a butterfly where they go through stages to complete a life cycle. The cycle of a bee is starting as an egg then hatching to larva, growing into pupa and finally becoming an adult. Have a look at the picture below to see the changes they make as they become an adult bee. |
Video: Life cycle of bees |
Egg
The queen bee lays the egg. Once an egg is laid, the larva inside begins to grow. Most eggs will become worker bees, some will become drones or a queen bee.
Larva
Worker bees feed the larva a mixture of bee bread and bee milk. The larva shed their skin four or five times as they grow. The larva stop eating on about day nine and spin a cocoon to begin taking the form of a pupa, much like a caterpillar!
This cocoon is sealed into the cell by the worker bees.
Pupa
In the pupa stage of their life cycle, the bees begin to develop legs, eyes and wings. Once fully grown they chew their way out of the cell and emerge as adults.
Adult Bee
The adult stage is the final stage of metamorphosis for the bee. It is now fully grown!
The queen bee lays the egg. Once an egg is laid, the larva inside begins to grow. Most eggs will become worker bees, some will become drones or a queen bee.
Larva
Worker bees feed the larva a mixture of bee bread and bee milk. The larva shed their skin four or five times as they grow. The larva stop eating on about day nine and spin a cocoon to begin taking the form of a pupa, much like a caterpillar!
This cocoon is sealed into the cell by the worker bees.
Pupa
In the pupa stage of their life cycle, the bees begin to develop legs, eyes and wings. Once fully grown they chew their way out of the cell and emerge as adults.
Adult Bee
The adult stage is the final stage of metamorphosis for the bee. It is now fully grown!
Types of bees
Types of bees
Types of bees in a colony |
Queen Bee
Queens are the only female bees that can make eggs. The queen of a hive mates with the drones then lays eggs for 3-5 years. It is said that a queen lays around 2000 eggs per day! Sometimes a hive makes a new queen bee when the old one is dying or she will leave the hive and start her own colony. The worker bees feed the queen bee a very special diet of royal jelly. |
The Drones
The drones, are the male bees which mate with new queens. They have no stingers. They are larger than worker bees and have large eyes. These are needed as they mate with the queen while flying so they need good eye site. Once they mate they die.
When the hive is coming into winter the worker bees will often push the drones out. This is so that there is enough food.
The drones, are the male bees which mate with new queens. They have no stingers. They are larger than worker bees and have large eyes. These are needed as they mate with the queen while flying so they need good eye site. Once they mate they die.
When the hive is coming into winter the worker bees will often push the drones out. This is so that there is enough food.
Worker Bees
The worker bees are all females. They move through different jobs as they become different ages. The first job is to clean the cell they came out of. Then they become a nurse bee taking care of the larva and feeding the queen. The next job is as a utility bee making food and wax, building combs and taking out the trash. Then they move to the entrance of the hive to become security bees. They begin flying more and protecting the hive. The final job as a mature bee is to collect pollen, nectar and water to feed the colony.
The worker bees are all females. They move through different jobs as they become different ages. The first job is to clean the cell they came out of. Then they become a nurse bee taking care of the larva and feeding the queen. The next job is as a utility bee making food and wax, building combs and taking out the trash. Then they move to the entrance of the hive to become security bees. They begin flying more and protecting the hive. The final job as a mature bee is to collect pollen, nectar and water to feed the colony.
Video: Worker bee jobs |
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Pollination
Pollination
What makes bees so important
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Bees are considered the most important insects of our planet because they pollinate plants, making them produce flowers, vegetables, fruit and nuts. Without pollinators like bees we would not have much food to eat.
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How does pollination work?
Pollination is where pollen is moved from a flower to another flower.
Pollination is an important part of the life cycle of plants. They cannot produce seeds unless they are pollinated. Pollen is moved from flower to flower by pollinators, which can be the wind, birds or insects. Honeybees pollination more than any other insect. The sticky pollen clings to their bodies, and is then carried from one plant to another.
Once pollination takes place, seeds begin to grow.
Pollination is an important part of the life cycle of plants. They cannot produce seeds unless they are pollinated. Pollen is moved from flower to flower by pollinators, which can be the wind, birds or insects. Honeybees pollination more than any other insect. The sticky pollen clings to their bodies, and is then carried from one plant to another.
Once pollination takes place, seeds begin to grow.
Bees collecting pollen in our garden. Can you spot the native bee in there? |
Flowers grow to attract pollinators
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InvestigationTake a walk to find some flowers. Discover the different shapes, colours, patterns and smells that a flower uses to attract the bees. Draw them.
Try to not pick the flowers. The plants grew them to attract the bees. They are much more useful for the plant and bees if they are left growing in the garden. |
Activity: draw a bee
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Draw a bee with Faerie Cara
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Write the word bee with Faerie Cara
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Bee Body
Activity: build a bee
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Now that you've seen what a bee looks like up close, can you build your own bee?
Use things you find in nature to construct a bee body. You can print the bee picture on the download file link below if you'd like a picture of a bee to build on.
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Why do bees sting
Why do Bees Sting
Myths About Bees Stings
- Bees sting because they are angry.
- Bees sting because they are hungry.
- Bees sting for fun.
- It might not be a bee. Often, the most aggressive stinging insects are wasps and hornets, not bees.
Reasons Why Bees Sting
Ways to help ease a bee sting
There are many ways to help ease the pain. Here's some tips from us. Always trust your own guide. We're not doctors! These are things we try on the farm.
- When they feel threatened, so keep your distance. Never disturbing a hive.
- To defend their colony, their buzzy family, all 15,000-60,000 of them.
- To protect their hive.
- To protect their food.
- If they are alerted by another bee. When they sting they release a pheromone to warn other bees of danger, so others will become more defensive.
Ways to help ease a bee sting
There are many ways to help ease the pain. Here's some tips from us. Always trust your own guide. We're not doctors! These are things we try on the farm.
- Make sure there are no signs of an allergic reaction. If the victim shows signs of severe swelling get to a hospital immediately.
- Use ice
- Homeopathics ledum and apis
- Lavender oil
- Honey
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Do bees die after they sting you
When a female bee stings, they drive their stinger into the body of their victim. The stinger injects their venom called apitoxin. The stinger is barbed, meaning it has tiny hooks that point in the opposite direction of the stinger pointer. This makes it difficult to remove, so the stinger rips off from their body. It isn't long after the stinger is ripped out of their body that they die. |
Bees are in trouble
Bees are in Trouble
Video: Save the bees |
Bees are in trouble because of some of the things that people do. Some species of bees have gone missing and sometimes whole colonies have been killed. The bee population is steadily getting less.
Hopefully we are not too late. We can help the bees |
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Here are some things that kill bees
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What can you do
There are some little things that you can do to make a big difference to the bees.
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bee keeping
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Beekeeping or apiculture is the maintenance of honey bee colonies, usually in hives made by people. A beekeeper, or apiarist, keeps bees to collect their honey and other products that the hive makes including beeswax, propolis, pollen, and royal jelly.
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Bee Keeping
Bees are wild animals that look after themselves. When kept in suburban areas they need to be managed by a beekeeper to keep them happy, healthy, safe and to stop them from swarming.
Bee keeping fun facts
Bee keeping fun facts
- People have been collecting honey from wild bees for at least 12,000 years.
- About 9,000 years ago people began beekeeping in pottery vessels in North Africa
- Egyptian art shows beekeeping around 4,500 years ago. Simple hives and smoke were used and honey stored in jars, some of these jars were found in the tombs of pharaohs such as Tutankhamen.
- In the 18th century Europeans studied bees and constructed moveable comb hives so that honey could be harvested without destroying the entire colony.
Video: Learning how to maintain the hive
This video is with my 7 year old son and I learning how to maintain the hive with farmer Brett. This was his first time going into the hives after two months of learning about bees.
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honey
Honey
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Honey is made by bees for food.
Beekeepers want bees to make extra honey so that it can be taken without hurting the bees. |
How the bees make honey
Labelling honey
Honey can be labelled depending on where the bees found the nectar. Most of the honey in Australia is made from Eucalyptus trees. Different nectar makes different flavours.
Crystallised Honey
Crystallised honey is when honey goes hard. Honey naturally crystallises over time. Crystallisation does not affect the flavour or nutrition of the honey.
- Honeybees collect nectar from flowering plants.
- In the hive bees pass the nectar from one bee to the next. It takes around 100 bees, each taking out water and adding enzymes.
- The honey is stored in comb cells inside the hive.
- More water comes out through evaporation to ripen the honey.
- Once ripened the bees seal the cell with a thin layer of bees wax to protect and preserve it. Like putting a lid on a jar.
Labelling honey
Honey can be labelled depending on where the bees found the nectar. Most of the honey in Australia is made from Eucalyptus trees. Different nectar makes different flavours.
Crystallised Honey
Crystallised honey is when honey goes hard. Honey naturally crystallises over time. Crystallisation does not affect the flavour or nutrition of the honey.
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InvestigationFind a market stall that sells honey. Try different types of honey that have come from different flowers. Look at the different colours that they make.
Can you taste the difference? Do they smell different? What is your favourite? |
Think of somewhere you can plant food for bees
Abelia x grandiflora - Abelia
This medium shrub produces masses of white bell shaped flowers over summer. |
Buddleja - Butterfly Bush
This tall shrub produces clusters of flowers that are enjoyed by many types of native bees. |
Callistemon - Bottlebrush
Bright red flowers of the bottlebrush are attractive to a wide range of native bee species |
Sunflowers
The head consists of 1000-2000 individual flowers joined together - keeping bees very busy. |
Daisies
Daisies produce lots of flowers over a long period and their nectar can be easily reached by bees. |
Eucalyptus and Angophora - Gum Trees
Flowering native gum trees have a valuable source of nectar and resin. |
Grevillea - Spider Flower
Grevillea are flowering shrubs that produce large amounts of nectar. |
Salvia officinalis - Sage
The salvia family are particularly attractive to blue-banded bees |
Lavandula - Lavender
These purple Lavender flowers are sure to attract many bees. |
Leptospermum - Tea Tree
Dense white flowers will attract and support a wide range of native pollinators. |
Melaleuca - Honey Myrtle
Melaleuca shrub will provide copious blossom to support bees. |
Westringia - Native Rosemary
Hardy shrubs flower almost all year round. |
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InvestigationTake a walk through your neighbourhood to see if you can spot any of the flowers listed above.
Can you see a type of flowering plant or tree that was buzzing with happy bees? |
Thankyou Bees. Hello RainbowsWhat a buzz learning all about bees. It's been a hive of activity to get all this together and we can't wait to dive into next months topic.
Next month we'll be learning all about RAINBOWS. |
