School βΊ Bees βΊ Ages 10β11
Pollination and the lives of bees
How pollination works, how bumblebees and solitary bees carry pollen, how a honeybee colony is organised, how honey is made, and a fair test of which 'bee body' carries the most pollen.
Read
Pollination is how flowering plants reproduce: pollen moves from the anther (the male part) to the stigma (the female part), so the plant can make seeds. Some plants use wind; many use animals, and they reward them with nectar and pollen.[1][3]
Bees carry pollen in different ways. Bumblebees comb pollen into pollen baskets on their back legs. Solitary bees carry it on a pollen brush of hairs on their legs or under the abdomen.[1]
Some flowers, such as tomatoes and blueberries, are buzz pollinated: a bumblebee lands on the flower and rapidly vibrates the muscles in its thorax, which shakes the pollen out.[3][1]
There are about 20,000 known kinds of bees, and most of them are solitary. A honeybee colony has one queen who lays the eggs, female workers who collect food and look after the young, and male drones.[4][5]
Honeybees make honey from nectar. They fan the stored nectar with their wings until most of the water evaporates, then seal the cells with wax. One worker may visit up to 2,000 flowers in a day.[7]
About 84% of crops grown in the EU depend on insect pollination. Pollinators are declining because of climate change, loss of habitat and light pollution.[1]
Try it: Which bee body carries the most pollen?
You need
- Cornflour (the 'pollen') in a shallow dish
- Three 'bees' of the same size: a fluffy pom-pom, a fuzzy pipe cleaner rolled into a ball, a ball of smooth kitchen foil
- Sheets of black paper with 6 circles drawn on each (the 'flowers')
- Spoon, paper towels
Safety
Do not blow or throw the cornflour; wipe up spills straight away so nobody slips. Keep powder away from eyes. Wash hands afterwards.
What to do
- Predict which bee will carry pollen to the most flowers, and why.
- Decide what you will keep the same: the size of the bees, how you dip them, how hard you press.
- Dip the first bee once into the cornflour and tap it once on the side of the dish.
- Press it gently once on each flower in turn, without dipping again.
- Count how many flowers got a visible white mark.
- Repeat for the other two bees. Do each bee three times and work out the average.
- Which bee was the best pollinator? Was your prediction right?
What happens, and why?
Hairs trap more powder than a smooth surface, and the powder rubs off a little at each flower. Real bees carry pollen on hairs, pollen brushes or pollen baskets. Changing only the type of bee, and doing three repeats, makes the test fair and more reliable.[1]
Play: Honeybee, bumblebee or solitary bee?
Which kind of bee does this describe?
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Quiz
Other ages: Ages 6β7 Β· Ages 15β16