Bees
Bees are amazing – they collect nectar from flowers which helps grow the food we eat, and they make honey as well!
Here's some fun facts about bees:
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Bees live in hives that have honeycombs made from beeswax.
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Honey is made from the flower nectar bees collect, which is stored in the honeycomb for food.
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There are 3 types of bee in a hive – a single queen, workers and drones.
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The queen bee lays all the eggs for the hive.
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The worker bees are all girls - they build the hive, protect it and collect food.
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Drone bees are all boys, and their job is to help the queen make more bees.
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Bees have 5 eyes on the top of their heads - 3 small eyes for telling light from dark and 2 big eyes to spot bright colours.
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A bee has 4 wings which beat together 200 times per second, which makes their buzzing sound.
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Honeybees do a ‘waggle dance’ to tell the other bees where to find the best flowers.
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Bees are very busy – one bee can visit up to 5,000 flowers in a single day!
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Their sense of smell is very strong - 50 times stronger than a dog's.
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Bees leave scent footprints as messages for other bees, letting them know which flowers have already had their nectar eaten.
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If the queen passes away, royal jelly is a super bee food that’s fed to a baby bee so they can become the new queen.
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A group of bees is called a colony.
How Your Family Can Help Bees
If you have a garden, leave a small patch of lawn to grow wildly so that dandelions and other plant treats can offer bees a tasty snack.
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Bees can get thirsty on their travels, so you can make them a drinking station using a shallow bowl or saucer topped with fresh water. Add a few pebbles or stones so the bees have a safe place to land and have a quick drink.
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You can sow a mix of wildflower seeds in a window box or plant pot to help them collect nectar.
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If you spot a bee resting on the ground and not moving, it might be dehydrated or it might have run out of energy. You can revive them by dissolving a teaspoon of white sugar in 2 teaspoons of warm water then place a spoonful near the bee so it can have a reviving drink.