Parts of a Bee
What is the thorax?
The middle segment of a honey bee's body, serving as the central hub for locomotion.
What do guard bees do?
They are stationed at the hive entrance, inspect incoming bees and protect the hive from intruders, using alarm pheromones to signal danger.
What attracts bees to plants?
Bees are drawn to color, scent, nectar, and pollen.
True or False: Bees have five eyes.
True. They have two large compound eyes and three small ocelli (simple eyes) on top of their head.
How many wings do bees have?
They have four wings that hook together to form one pair during flight.
What is a Pollen brush for?
A pollen brush is used to groom the bee and put pollen into the basket.
What do nurse bees do?
Young worker bees (1–10 days old) feed the developing larvae (brood) a diet of royal jelly, honey, and pollen, and tend to the queen's needs.
How do bees fertilize flowers?
The bees accidentally spread the pollen to other flowers, fertilizing them.
True or False: Only female bees can sting.
True. The stinger is a modified egg-laying organ. Males (drones) cannot sting
How fast do bees fly?
Around 15 miles per hour.
What is the purpose of a "pollen basket"?
It is part of a bee's hind legs with stiff hairs used to organize pollen.
What does the Queen bee do?
Sole reproductive female in the Hive. She regulates the hive with pheromones.
How much of global food production depends on bees?
One-Third
True or False: All worker bees are female.
True. The female workers do all the foraging, cleaning, and nursing in the hive.
What dance do bees use to communicate?
The "waggle dance" tells other bees the direction and distance of flowers.
What are the scopae.
They are specialized dense hairs on a bee’s underbelly to carry pollen. Used in bees without a pollen basket.
What is the drone bee's job?
Male bees whose only job is to reproduce with the queen.
What percent of flowers are pollinated by bees?
Estimated to pollinate up to 80% of all flowering plants.
True or False: Male bees (drones) help collect pollen and make honey.
False. Drones do not have pollen baskets or stingers.
What colors can bees not see perfectly?
Bees cannot see red well, but they are highly attracted to violet, yellow, blue, and white.
What is a proboscis?
It is a long, slender tube used by bees to suck up nectar, water, and honey.
In what ways do worker bees contribute?
Non reproductive female bees who do most of the work around the hive: foraging, cleaning, guarding, and building.
Bees intentionally gather pollen from flowers to use as a ________________.
Bees intentionally gather pollen from flowers to use as a protein source for larvae.
True or False: All bees live in large hives with a queen.
False. Most bees are solitary, living in small holes in the ground or wood. Only honey bees and bumblebees are highly social.
Can bees recognize faces?
Yes, bees can be trained to recognize human faces.