When spring arrives, gardens become lively with the buzzing sounds of bees. These busy insects are collecting pollen and nectar from flowers. Let’s learn about how bees and flowers work together, the different kinds of bees in the UK, and why bees are so important for pollination.
Bees love the sweet smells and bright colors of flowers. Flowers need bees to help them with cross-pollination, which is important for making seeds. This teamwork is called a symbiotic relationship. Bees get nectar from flowers, and in return, they help flowers make seeds by moving pollen around.
In the UK, there are about 250 types of bees. They are grouped into three main kinds: honeybees, bumblebees, and solitary bees.
Bees have long tongues called proboscis, which they use to get nectar from flowers. They store the nectar in a special honey stomach and take it back to their hives to make honey.
When a bee lands on a flower, it picks up pollen on its feet and hairy body. As it moves to another flower, the pollen is transferred to the flower’s stigma, helping the plant make seeds.
Bees are especially attracted to blue and yellow flowers because they look very bright to them. To bring bees to your garden, try planting flowers in these colors.
In a bumblebee colony, only the queen survives the winter by sleeping in the soil. In spring, she wakes up to start a new colony. Honeybees stay together in their hive to keep warm during winter. Solitary bees find any place they can to hibernate.
The buzzing sound we hear from bees is made by their wings flapping really fast, up to 200 times per second. When bees feel threatened, they flap their wings even faster, making a louder buzz.
Bees are super important for our environment, especially for pollination. By learning about their behaviors and different types, we can appreciate their role and help them by planting the right flowers. This way, we can enjoy the beauty they bring to our gardens and support these amazing pollinators.
Bee Observation Journal: Spend some time in a garden or park and observe the bees you see. Try to identify if they are honeybees, bumblebees, or solitary bees based on their size and stripes. Draw pictures of the bees you observe and note down their behaviors. Do they visit certain colored flowers more often? Share your findings with your class.
Flower Planting Activity: With the help of an adult, plant some bee-friendly flowers in your garden or in a pot. Choose flowers that are blue or yellow, as bees are attracted to these colors. Keep a weekly diary of how many bees visit your flowers. Discuss with your classmates why you think certain flowers attract more bees.
Pollination Role Play: In a group, act out the process of pollination. One person can be a bee, and others can be flowers. Use small balls of paper as pollen. The “bee” can move from one “flower” to another, collecting and transferring the “pollen.” Discuss how this helps flowers make seeds and why it’s important for plants and bees to work together.
