Pollinator Biology and Diversity
True or false: All bee species make honey.
False. Most bees collect nectar but only a few species turn nectar into honey. Honey bees and stingless bees process nectar to make honey.
Which of these bees are sometimes social, meaning that the mother or sisters stay in the nest to care for the young as they develop?
a. Leaf cutter bees
b. Miner bees
c. Longhorn bees
d. Sweat bees
Sweat bees. Leafcutter, miner, and longhorn bees are solitary. Females gather pollen, lay eggs, and leave the young to develop on their own. In some species of sweat bees, mothers or sisters stay in the nest and get help from their daughters in raising multiple batches of brood.
True or false? All wasps are aggressive or territorial.
False. Wasps are an incredibly diverse group of insects. A few species can be bothersome, but most are harmless and beneficial. Many wasps control populations of insect pests and can be important pollinators.
How many species of bumble bees are found in Minnesota?
a. 7
b. 16
c. 24
d. 52
24. There are 250 species of bumble bees in the world, 45 in North America, and 24 in Minnesota.
Honey bees cover up pollen with resins when it is contaminated with which kind of pesticide?
a. Insecticide
b. Herbicide
c. Fungicide
Fungicide. Honey bees will cover over fungicide-contaminated pollen with a layer of wax. Beekeepers call it “entombed pollen.” While more research needs to be done, beekeepers think the bees do this to avoid consuming contaminated pollen.
True or false? All bees live in hives with queens and workers.
False. In most bee species, the mother bees do not stay with their young. The mother provides pollen for the young to eat and then leaves them on their own.
Which of these bees are not native to the U.S.?
a. Megachile rotundata, the alfalfa leafcutter bee
b. Hylaeus leptocephalus, the slender-faced masked bee
c. Apis mellifera, the western honey bee
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
All of the above. In addition to Apis mellifera, the western honey bee, other bees have been either intentionally introduced for their pollination services, or have accidentally arrived in the U.S.
True or false? Without pollinators, we would have nothing to eat.
False. Many crops like corn, wheat, and rice are wind pollinated. However, without pollinators, we would lose many of our most nutritious and delicious foods.
How did sweat bees get their name?
Sweat bees often land on people to lap up sweat. It is believed that they are attracted to minerals in sweat.
What is the state insect of Minnesota? (Hint - it is different from the state bee!)
a. The monarch butterfly
b. The honey bee
c. The mosquito
d. The eastern tiger swallowtail butterfly
Monarch Butterfly. The Monarch was adopted as the state butterfly in 2000. All the other insects are state insects in other states, except the mosquito.
What is the main nutrient bees seek in nectar?
a. Sugars
b. Vitamin C
c. Vitamin B
Sugars. Bees mainly collect nectar for carbohydrates, a.k.a. sugars. Nectar can also have other chemicals, such as caffeine or alkaloids, that aid learning or help fight off diseases.
Which of these bee groups have social species, meaning that multiple generations live together and help each other raise babies?
a. Sweat bees
b. Bumble bees
c. Small carpenter bees
d. All of the above
e. None of the above
All of the above. In addition to the more well known honey bees and bumble bees, there are many native, wild bee species that are social.
Adult monarchs are completely dependent on milkweed
False. Monarch caterpillars can only eat milkweed plants, but adult monarchs can survive on nectar from many different plants. Milkweed is a very important nectar source for adult monarchs, but they also drink nectar from ironweed, liatris, and many other flowers.
What do leafcutter bees do with the pieces of leaves they cut?
a. Use them in their nests
b. Feed them to their young
c. Grow fungus on them which they can eat
Use them in their nests. They use pieces of leaves to form barriers in their nests to protect their young.
How do fungicides harm bees?
a. Kill yeasts and other microbes that live on stored pollen
b. Bees are not fungi, so fungicides don’t harm them
c. Weaken bees’ exoskeletons
Kill yeasts and other microbes that live on stored pollen. In addition to nutrients in the pollen itself, bees rely on nutrition from yeasts that normally grow on stored pollen and can be killed by fungicides. Fungicides can also make some insecticides more toxic to bees.
What is the main nutrient bees seek in pollen?
a. Salt
b. Vitamin D
c. Protein
Protein. Bees get most of their protein from pollen. Pollen can also provide important fats, vitamins, and minerals.
What percent of bee species live in hollow plant stems or cavities?
a. 10-30%
b. 30-60%
c. 60-80%
d. 80-100%
10-30%. There are many bee species that nest in hollow plant stems or cavities, but most bee species nest in the ground.
What environmental factor(s) cue(s) monarch butterflies to begin their migration south?
a. Shorter days
b. Cooler weather
c. Aging milkweed
d. All of the above
All of the above. Shorter days, cooler weather, and aging milkweed tell monarchs that it is time to begin their migration south.
True or false: All bee species collect pollen.
False. Some bees, called cuckoo bees, do not collect pollen. They enter the nests of other bees that have collected pollen and lay their eggs in those nests.
True or False: Native pollinators depend on native flowers.
False. Many native pollinators collect nectar from plants that aren’t native. However, some native pollinators completely depend on particular native plants for pollen or to use as host plants for developing caterpillars.
Where do most bee species make their nests?
a. In trees
b. In the ground
c. In plant stems
d. In the grass
Over 80% of bee species make nests in the ground.
Don’t confuse gentle ground-nesting bees with aggressive yellow jacket wasps. You can help diverse bees find homes by having varied soil types and conditions in your garden including: bare soil, leaf cover, disturbed soil, undisturbed soil, sand, and clay.
Bees, including honey bees and Hoplitis species, collect resins from plants. How do these resins benefit the bees?
a. Provide essential minerals
b. Seal cracks in the nest structure
c. Strengthen the exoskeleton
d. All of the above
Seal cracks in the nest structure. Resins are used to strengthen nests and seal cracks. Resins also shown have antimicrobial properties that can help bees fight diseases.
True or false? Monarchs west of the Rocky Mountains only migrate to Mexico.
False. Most monarchs west of the Rocky Mountains will migrate to the coast of California.
How many species of honey bees are found worldwide?
a. 40
b. 18
c. 8
d. 100
There are 8 species of honey bees worldwide, including Apis mellifera, Apis cerana, Apis dorsata, Apis laboriosa, Apis florea, Apis andreniformis, Apis koschevnikovi, Apis nigrocincta
True or false? Any bee can use pollen from any flower.
False. Some bees can only use pollen from particular plants. These bees are called specialists
Why do monarch larvae and adults have bright coloring?
a. To warn predators that they are poisonous.
b. To find each other for mating.
c. To blend in with bright colored flowers.
d. To be beautiful to look at.
To warn predators that they are poisonous. Poisonous compounds from milkweed plants, called cardiac glycosides that monarchs eat as caterpillars, makes predators sick when they eat monarchs.
How many families of butterflies are there worldwide?
a. 200
b. 6
c. 35
d. 5,000
There are 6 butterfly families worldwide: Hesperiidae (Skippers), Lycaenidae (Blues and Hairstreaks), Nymphalidae (Brush-footed butterflies), Papilionidae (Swallowtails), Pieridae (Whites, Sulphurs, and Yellows), and Riodinidae (Metalmarks).
On average, how many miles can monarchs fly in one day during migration?
a. 5
b. 25
c. 50
d. 100
25. Monarch butterflies travel around 25 miles per day during migration. Migrating monarchs leave Minnesota in mid-August and arrive at their overwintering grounds in Mexico in November, having traveled 2,500 miles.
In what environment are bees most diverse?
a. Tropical jungles
b. Swamps
c. Plains
d. Tundras
e. Deserts
Deserts. While many organisms are most diverse in tropical areas, there are more species of bees living in dry, warm areas.
Where is it important to create pollinator habitat?
a. Farmland
b. Urban areas
c. Wetlands
d. Pastures
e. Roadsides
f. All of the above
All of the above. Pollinators are everywhere and need habitat everywhere. Much of Earth’s surface is made up of farmland and incorporating pollinator habitat can make the biggest difference.
Which of these is not a real kind of bee?
a. Cellophane bees
b. Miner bees
c. Sweat bees
d. Swamp bees
Swamp bees are not real bees, at least as far as we know! Cellophane, miner, and sweat bees are all commonly found throughout North America.
True or false? Most bees are black and yellow.
False. Bees come in all colors: red, green, blue, orange, yellow, brown, black, gray, white, and yellow.
Most adult monarchs have a lifespan of about 1 month. How long can migratory adults live for?
a. 3 months
b. 6 months
c. 9 months
d. A year
9 months. Unlike summer generations that live for two to six weeks as adults, adults in the migratory generation can live for up to nine months.
What is the purpose of the cellophane-like material produced by cellophane bees (Colletes)?
Waterproof lining for underground nests.
Which of the following is NOT a way that pesticides (insecticides, fungicides, and herbicides) harm pollinators?
a. Directly kill
b. Cause blindness
c. Interfere with navigation
d. Make more susceptible to disease
e. Reduce food availability
Cause Blindness. Pesticides are not known to impair vision for insects. However, even when a pesticide doesn’t kill pollinators instantly, it can reduce health by interfering with navigation or increasing susceptibility to disease. Although herbicides are meant to kill weeds, they can kill flowering plants that pollinators need for food.