Here are some of the most useful bee facts for kids including bee’s behavior and feeding. Bees are the flying insects that are associated with ants and wasps and are largely known for their pivotal role in pollinating as well as generating honey and beeswax. These types of insects belong to the superfamily of Apoidea.
There are around 20,000 recognized species of bees worldwide that are divided into seven to nine families. Many bees aren’t fully described and chances are there that numbers might considerably increase. Bees have occupied almost every continent with an exception of Antarctica or Polar Regions. These insects inhabit in every habitat that includes insect-pollinated flowering plants. Bees are perfectly adapted for feeding on pollen and predominantly on nectar which is a chief source of energy. Much pollen is employed as fare for larvae.
The male bee’s antennae is made of 13 segments while the female bee’s is of 12 segments. They have two pairs of wings but there are some species that have shorter wings thus making flight difficult. Of all the species, the stingless bee is the smallest species whose workers are around 2.1 mm. Some of the most frequent bee predators include bee wolves, mockingbirds, dragonflies, and king birds. Let’s review interesting facts about bees for kids.
Interesting Bee Facts For Kids
- Bees play a significant role in pollinating flowering plants and are also the key of pollinator in ecosystems that includes flowering plants. Bees primarily concentrate on collecting nectar or pollen. It follows that bees which more often feeds on gathering pollen are useful pollinators as compared to nectar-feeders.
- Thanks to the bees for this much involvement in pollination as one-third of the food supply that human body require depends on insect pollination most of which is brought about by the bees. Domesticated honey bee ranks number one for this purpose.
- Many species are fluffy as they hold an electrostatic charge that supports them in the adherence of pollen. Female bees occasionally discontinue foraging and prepare themselves in order to pack the pollen into the scopa which is present on the ventral abdomen in many bees. There are certain species that are opportunistic foragers and they are known to collect pollen from an array of plants. There are some that are oligolectic which means they rely on a handful number of plants to feed on. Not many plants offer nutritious floral oils instead of pollen, which are collected by these oligolectic bees.
- The stingless bees are specifically known for feeding on carrion.
- While most flowers offer a useful and healthy nutrients to the bees they are also dangerous as they occupy some crab spiders or assassin bugs that hunt bees. Some bees are often eaten during their flight by large birds; whereas others are killed by insecticides both by direct poisoning and by contamination of their food supply.
- A honey bee is known to lay 2,000 eggs each day. This happens in the spring buildup; however, when the foraging season arrives, honey bee females lay up to 1,000 – 1,500 eggs per day.
- The stingless bee is the smallest of all the bee species.
- The male’s antennae is composed of 13 segments while female’s antennae comprises 12 segments.
Solitary and Communal Bees | Bee Facts For Kids
There are several bee species that are entirely solitary in that the female is fertile and naturally dwells a nest she builds for herself. Some of these species include orchard mason bee, alfalfa leafcutter bee, hornfaced bee, and Eastern carpenter bee. There are no workers for these bees. Solitary species are generally known to produce neither beeswax nor honey. They play an important role in the pollination.
Nocturnal Bees | Bee Facts For Kids
Some of the species that is associated with the family of Colletidae, Apidae, and Andrenidae, have greatly enlarged ocellie which is awfully receptive to dark and light, although they are not capable of developing images. There are several flower pollinators inhabiting in desert habitats that are crepuscular where temperature are awfully high.
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