Bee

A honeybee hive is a social organization of bees

A single colony contains 20,000 to 30,000 bees

The colony gathers nectar using several worker bees spread over an area as wide as 40 square miles

www.wmconnolley.org.uk/ bees/

Workers decide which bees in the hive will become queens

The queen is larger than all other bees in the hive and makes several mating flights

She’ll mate with 10 or more males

Only one laying eggs= genetic heterogeneity

First Hand-drawn Picture

Queen stores millions of sperm in her body-good up to 3 years (her potential lifespan

Worker bees are all female = 85% of the nest

Workers have 3 life stages and each has specific roles

Dissection Microscope

Drawing

Young workers(1-12 days old)-clean cells, nurse brood, tend queen

Middled-aged workers(12-20 days old)-build comb, store nectar and pollen, ventilate nest

Older workers(20-30 days or more old)-supply nectar

Hand Lens Drawing

Bee Antenna

Males and Drones have one purpose in life – to mate with the queen

Bumblebees are superior to other bees in pollinating red clover, their tongue is 2.5mm longer than a honeybees

NSES

Standard E in every ages group applies to Bugscope. It applies because it has to do with the ability to understand technology and this is very important in Bugscope. The reason is that you use technology of the computer and microscopes to examine a particular bug and without understanding it you wouldn’t be able to get the most out of the program.

The authenticity of using the technologies involved, such as microscopes or ESEM are very authentic because they use the actually object you’re looking at and just give you a closer and more detailed picture.

3 Literature Sourceshttp://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/bees/hive.htm

l

http://www.ivyhall.district96.k12.il.us/4th/kkhp/1insects/bumblebeefox.html

Encyclopedia

2 Ways to apply Bugscope Art class – have students concentrate on drawing their specific insect

Social Studies (especially geography) – which insects live where and have student study that part of it