Pollinator Power by Leila
Apis Mellifera: The Western honey bee! by Bailey
How do bees make honey?
Honey is made from the nectar and sweet deposits that bees collect from plants and trees.
Worker bees (females) suck nectar from flowers with their long tongues, which are called proboscises, and also collect pollen, a type of powder from flowers, on their fuzzy abdomen or hind legs.
In one collection trip, a bee visits 50 to 100 flowers! They fly at a speed of 15 miles per hour. To make honey, worker bees make around 1,600 round trips to produce one ounce of honey! An average worker bee makes only about 1/12 teaspoon of honey in its lifetime, so lots of worker bees work hard together to make large quantities!
The nectar ends up in their special stomach, called a honey stomach. When their honey stomach is full, they fly back to the hive. A healthy hive contains around 50,000 bees! The nectar and pollen is passed among the mouths of other worker bees where it’s mixed together to create a protein-rich “bee bread.” This is less runny and can be stored into honeycomb cells. These hexagonal cells are like tiny honey pots made of wax! The honey is stored in the honeycomb as a food source for the colony (and us – yum!).
Honey bees are super important pollinators for flowers, fruits, and vegetables. Bees transfer pollen between the male and female parts of plants, allowing them to grow seeds and fruit. Bees help other plants grow while they do their work! Honey bees pollinate crops, such as apples, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, peaches, pumpkins, sunflowers, and much, much more! Without honey bees, these crops wouldn’t grow to feed us!
I LOVE BEES!
Honey Bees by Harry from Illinois
A Butterfly Limerick by Jack and Josie
There once was a butterfly of white.
His wings always shined like a light.
It bothered a lark,
He flew in the dark.
A bat said his wings were just right.
(Chalk art by Bridger.)
From Lucy in Illinois
Bees by Maddy
Bees like honey, and they go from one flower to another with pollen on their bodies. That is how they pollinate flowers. Why they do this is so they can make honey and eat it.
Did You Know Bats are Pollinators? by Megan
Did you know bats are pollinators? They also are nocturnal! They have great eyesight. They can also echolocate each other making a high pitched squeak. Not all bats can echolocate though, but most can. They do most of their hunting at night, but some bats like fruit too! I think bats are really cool, and I’m glad I got a chance to draw one for you!
The Largest Pollinator in the World! by Bridger
Did you know that lemurs can be pollinators?
It’s true! Black-and-White Ruffed Lemurs pollinate the traveler’s palm tree. These trees are usually 40 feet tall! The lemurs have to pry open the flowers to get their nectar, then they stick their muzzles into the flower and use their tongue to lap up the nectar. Because they put their muzzles so deep inside the flower, they get pollen on their fur. Then when they do it again to another flower, they spread the pollen! Isn’t that cool?!
Cool Facts About Butterfly Wings by Millie
The African Monarch Butterfly is poisonous. Birds learn not to eat it.
An Artic Ringlet has dark wings that soak up the sun’s heat.
A Comma’s ragged wings help disguise it as a dead leaf on the ground.
The circles on a Peacock Butterfly’s wings look like eyes to scare away predators.
The Tortoiseshell Butterfly has patterns on its wings that help them attract a mate.
A Day Night as a Moth (Part 2) by Maren
