buzz about bees excerpt.pdf
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Title ExcerptTRANSCRIPT
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BEE-LIEvE IT OR NOT, BEES ARE SOMETHING TO BUZZ ABOUT — 5
Chapter 1: BEE-N THERE, DONE THAT — 6 BEE-ingWorthyofRoyalStatus TakeYourMedicine:DrinkYourHoney RecipeforSoothingaSTING-ingThroat
Chapter 2: THE WHOLE BALL OF WAX — 9 UnBEE-lievableBodyParts ClassifyingBeeBodies ToBEEorNottoBEE
Chapter 3: BEE-ING TOGETHER — 16 SocialBees NestsorHives BEE-ingtheQueen Honeybees Honey:LiquidGold KeepingBUZZ-y
Chapter 4: BEE-ING ALONE — 24 BEE-autifulHomes LivingBEE-sideEachOther BEE-foreILeaveYou GettingBEE-gger:LifeCycleofaBee
Chapter 5: BEES OF THE WORLD, DISPERSE! — 30 BeeMobility InvasivePests KillerBees LeaveMeBEEGame TheBEE’sKnees BEEaResearcher LetMeBEE:I’mBUZZ-yWorking BEE-ingaBeekeeper ASWEETLife
Chapter 6: STINGING EFFECTS ON THE WORLD — 37 BEE-hindtheEightBall BEE-comingExtinct What’stheBUZZ? BEEtheChangetheWorldNeeds
Glossary–46 Index–47 FurtherReading–48 PhotoCredits–48
C O N T E N T S
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C H A P T E R 1
BEE-N THERE, DONE THATBeeshavebeenadmiredthroughouthistoryandarestillcherishedtoday.Cavepaintingsfromaround13,000BCEfoundinAfrica,Europe,Asia,andAustraliashowbeespaintednearothersacredanimals.These“petroglyphs”werepaintedwithpigmentsandanimalfatontocavesandtemples,buttheirpurposeisnotknown.Perhapstheircreatorsusedtheseimagestocommunicatewithorwarnothernomads,topassonmythsandtraditions,orduringritualsandreligiousceremonies.Regardless,thefactthatthebeesarerepresentedatalldemonstratestheirimportancewithinthesehunter-gatherersocieties.
HONEY HUNTERS WANTED
Ifyoulivedduringpre-historictimeswouldyouhave
wantedtobeahoney hunter?Answerthesequestions
witheitherYESorNOtofindout.
1. Doyoulikethesoundofbuzzingbees?
2. Wouldyoubewillingtoclimbgreatheightsonaflimsy
laddermadefromgrassandweeds?
3. Doyouhaveexperienceholdingaflametorchandsharp
knifewhilebalancingonawobbly,tallladder?
4. Couldyouholdontotheundersideofanextremelyhigh
cliffforseveralminutesifyourladderhappened
tocollapse?�. Wouldyouremainstillandsteadyonyourladder
(orclingingtotheundersideofacliff)whilebeing
swarmedbyhundredsofprotectivebeesdefendingtheir
nests?6. Doyouenjoypainfulbeestings?
If you answered NO to any of the above questions,
perhaps the honey-hunter job is not for you.
Cavepaintingsdemonstratehowtreacherousthesehoney
huntsmusthavebeen.Daringhuntersendured
troublesomeheights,unsafeladders,andpiercingstings
simplytosatisfytheirsweet-toothcravings.Withonly
primitivetools—agrassladder,atorch,andaknife—they
robbednestsinsearchofdelicious,tangyhoney.
JOB POSTING…
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JOB POSTING…
BEE-ing Worthy of Royal StatusOver�,000yearsagoEgyptianpharaohs(ancientrulers)usedaformalwritingsystemcalledhieroglyphics.Hieroglyphsconsistedofcombinationsofsymbolsandlettersengravedorpaintedontopottery,ivorytags,ancienttombs,andsacredtemples.Itisinterestingtonotethatthebeehieroglyphshownhere(onright)wasaroyalsymbolrepresenting“thedomainofthepharaoh.”
People from ancient Greece thought highly of bees. In fact, bees were so important that the Greeks put a symbol of the bee on one of their coins.
Take Your Medicine: Drink Your HoneyForthousandsofyearshumanshaverecognizedthemedicinalusesofhoneyormead(fermentedhoneywater).Theseliquidswereknowntohavenaturalanti-biotic,antifungal,andanti-inflammatoryproperties.Peopleusedthesesweetliquidstocleansores,loosenphlegm,wardoffinfections,relieveconstipation,reducediarrhea,eliminateallergiesandacne
outbreaks,curecoughsandsorethroats,andnumbmenstrualcramps.Inmedievaltimes,peoplewouldsoakbandagesinhoneyinordertoreducejointswellingandcurecataracts.Someofthesehoneycurescontinuetobeusedforhealthpurposestoday.Forexample,honeyisaprimaryingredientinseveralcoughsyrupsanddrops.Andwhenapersonhaslaryngitis(aninflamedlarynx),acommonhomeremedymightbegingerteasweetenedbyhoneyorawarmhoney/lemongargle.
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In addition to honey, bees provide other valuable products. Beeswax continues to be used in cosmetics, candles, soaps, and lip balms. Propolis, a tree resin collected by bees, is known to treat gum infections and minor burns. Bee pollen is used to increase energy and aid in digestion.
Ingredients:
1 cup(23�ml)ofwarmwater(soothesthethroat)
½ squeezedlemon(reducesswelling)1 teaspoon(�ml)ofhoney(has
antibacterialpropertiesandsweetenstheliquid)
¼ teaspoon(1.2�ml)ofsalt(killsgerms)
Directions:
1. Mixingredientsinacup.2. Gargle.Donotswallow.3. Spititout.4. Repeatasneeded.
A Honey/Lemon Gargle
Recipe for Soothing a STING-ing Throat
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C H A P T E R 5
BeescientistMartin
Wikelskihaspioneeredaminiaturetrackingtag
thatfitsonthebacksofbees.Thismonitoringdevice
allowshisresearchteamstostudytheflightpatternofbees.
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C H A P T E R 5
Today,itisestimatedthatthereare1�,�00speciesofbeesfoundallovertheworld,onallcontinentsbutAntarctica.Someofthesebeesmigratedontheirowntonewcontinents,whileotherswerebroughtbypeople.Honeybees,forexample,arenotnativetoNorthAmerica.EuropeansettlerswithinthelastfewhundredyearsbroughtthesedomesticatedbeestoCanadaandtheUnitedStates.
Bee MobilityBeescansensewhenanenvironmenthasbeennegativelyinfluencedbyhumans.Theywillleaveanareathatisoverdevelopedandnotecologicallyfriendly.
Somebeesaremoremobilethanothers.Themoremobileaspecies,themorelikelyitistosurviveclimatechangesandotherenvironmentaldifficulties.Thisisbecausemobilebeesareabletomovetoareaswheretheconditionsaremoresuitablefortheirspecificneeds.Ingeneral,thelargerthebee,themorelikelyitistobeabletotravelgreaterdistances.
Beingmobileusesalotofenergy.Thismeansthatcommuting(travelling)beeshavelessenergyavailableforcollectingfoodand
pollinatingplants.Ifthecommutesbecome
toolongordifficult,beesmaynothaveenoughfoodfortheirbabiesandtheirpopulationsmaydecline.
Invasive PestsSomebeesmigrateorarebroughttonewplaces,causingnegativeeffectsontheirnewenvironments.Forexample,thegiantresinbee,anativeofAsia,wasaccidentallybroughttotheUnitedStatesinthe1��0sandwasidentifiedinNorthCarolinain1��4.Theselargebeesaresometimesconsideredpests.
BEES Of THE WORLD, DISPERSE!
First,theycompetewithnativebees(wildbees)fornestingsites,andsecond,theytendtopollinateinvasiveweedssuchaskudzu,whichcrowdsoutandkillsimportantnativeplants.Nativebeesarenegativelyaffectedbecausetheyfindthemselveswithfewerfoodsources.
A male Eastern carpenter bee (native to North America) visits a kudzu flower.
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Leave Me BEE Game Instructions:
1. Withtheexceptionoftwoorthreeparticipants,allchildrenfindapartner.
2. Partnersstandtogether.Theyjoinhandsandfaceoneanother,creatingahive.
3. Oneofthetwoorthreechildrenwithoutpartnersbecomesabeepredator(e.g.,awasp,abear,oraskunk).He/shechasestheothersinglechild/children(thebee/s).
4. Thesesingleparticipantsmustfindsafetyfromthepredatorbygoinginsideahiveandjoininghandswithoneofthepartners.
�. Thechildwhoisbehindthecouple(theoneleftwithouthandstohold)cannowbechasedbythebeepredator.
6. Ifthebeepredatorcatchessomeone,he/shebecomes“it”(thenewpredator).
Therearethreemaineconomicproblemsthatthisbeemigrationcaused:
1. KillerbeescompetewiththemoredomesticatedNorthAmerican/Europeanbeesforvaluableresourceslikefood,water,andmates.
2. Killerbeesarehardertocontainsincetheyarequicktoswarmwhenprovoked.Thismeansthatbeekeepersneedtospendmoretimemanagingthehives.
3. Killerbeeshavemoredifficultysurvivingtheharshwinters.Thesecoloniesarelessproductivesincetheydonotbeginpollinatinguntillaterinthespringseason.
Killer Bees Inthe1��0s,aBrazilianbeebiologistnamedWarwickKerrcrossbredaggressiveAfricanizedhoneybeeswithhardworkingBrazilianhoneybees(whichwereoriginallyfromEurope).Hishopewastocreatemorepeaceful,productivebees.Theexperimentbackfired,however,whenthe“killerbees”(alsoknownasAfricanizedbees)escaped,freedintoCentralAmericaandMexico.Theseaggressiveanddeterminedhybridshaveproventobemoredifficulttomanagethanotherhoneybeestrains.Theytendtoswarmwithgreaterfrequencyandtomigratewhentheirfoodsourcesdwindle.Africanizedbeesaggressivelyguardtheirhivesbypositioningagreaternumberofguardsanddeployingbiggerarmieswhentheyfeelthreatened.By2003,thisdestructivebeestrainhadspreadintotheUS.
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BEE a ResearcherHereisalunchnotuncommontoNorthAmericans:achickenCaesarwrap,carrotsticks,andafruitsmoothie.
Step 1:Thinkcarefullyaboutthefoodinthispicture.Whichfoodswouldbeunavailableifbeesdisappeared?
Step 2:Gotopages44-4�andseeifyouguessedright!
Thoughbeesareefficientpollinators,bats,
butterflies,hummingbirds,andmothscan
alsopollinateplants.
Sweat BeesSweatbeesare
attractedtothesaltsfoundinhumanperspiration.A
researchstudynotedthatsomesweatbeeshavebeenknowntosippeople’stears.Imaginebeingsad,and
whileyouarecrying,asweatbeelandsonyourcheek,rollsoutits
slender,hairytongue(proboscis),anddrinks
yourtears!
The BEE’s KneesImagineaworldwithoutbees.Notonlywoulditbelesscolourful—withfewerwildflowersandfloweringplants—itwouldbelessfruitfultoo.Aworldwithoutbeesmeansaworldwherethefoodsupplywouldbesignificantlydiminished.
CanadianprofessorandglobalbeeresearcherLaurencePacker(2010)estimatesthatbeesareresponsibleforonethirdofourfoodsupply.Heoffersanactivityasawayforpeopletothinkaboutthesignificanceofthesefurryandvaluableinsects.The“BEEaResearcher”gameisanadaptationofPacker’s“ConsiderBreakfast,ThenThankaBee”activity.
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Caesar Wrap•Wholewheatwrap•Chicken•Parmesancheese•Lettuce•Tomato•Caesardressing•Carrotsticks
Meal Item with Ingredients
Fruit Smoothie•Watermelon•Strawberries•Honey
Thoughbeesareefficientpollinators,bats,
butterflies,hummingbirds,andmothscan
alsopollinateplants.
Manyplantsdependonbeestopollinatetheirflowersinordertomakenewseeds.Infact,beespollinate87oftheworld’s11�mostimportantfoodcrops.Accordingtosome,theestimatedworthforthecontributionofbeesworldwidemaybeashighas$�0billionayear.Forothers,theircontributionispricelessbecausetheworktheydokeepshumansandanimalsalive—it’samatterofsurvival!
Sothenexttimethatyouseeabeebuzzingfromflowertoflower,pleasedonothurtit.Remembertojustletitbebecauseitisbusypollinatingtheworld’sflowersandfoodsupply.
Let Me BEE: I’m BUZZ-y WorkingHumansneedbeestopollinateplants.Butwhatisitaboutbeesthatmakethemsuchgoodpollinators?
Somebeescanvisitthousandsofflowerseachdayinordertocollecttheirownfood(e.g.,nectar,pollen).Theirhairylegsandbodiespickupflowerparticlescalledpollen.Theyalsodropsomeofthesetinyparticlesontonewflowers.Thismeansthatbeeshavethepotentialtopollinatehundredsofflowerseveryday.Whenaflower’seggcomesincontactwithpollen,thereisachancethatitwillgrowintoaseed.
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BEE-ing a Beekeeper
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Whilesomepeopleseebeesasscaryoraspests,othersseethemashelpfulorevenaspets.Intheeyesofabee handler,beesareseenasspecial,evenheroic,becausethelivesofmanycreaturesdependonthem.
Peoplewhoraiseortakecareofbeesarecalledbeekeepersorbeehandlers.Somebeekeepersraiseandcareforhoneybees.Theymaysellthebees’honeyorproductsmadefrombeeswax.
GlenMcMullenisoneofthesepeople.Heandhiswife,Gwen,keephoneybeesandsellbeeproducts(e.g.,honey,honeycomb,beeswax).Atthesametime,bykeepingbeessafe,theyarehelpingallofusbecausetheyarehelpingthefarmsintheirareagrowhealthiercrops.
Glensays,“Forme,thegreatestthrillofallistogotothebeeyardandliftupthetopandseethatwehaveastronghive;there’san immenseamountofsatisfactionand joyinfindingathriving, activehive.”
Beekeepers need to practise responsible beekeeping (i.e., not taking too much honey) if they want their colonies to thrive.
Somebeekeepers,likeGlen,rentouttheirhoneybeestootherfarmersinordertopollinatemorefields. Stillotherbeehandlerskeepothertypesofbees.Forexample,PaulandMaudeStephanykeepmasonbees.Theywrite,“Wefoundoutthatmasonbeesaredocile,thattheyrarelysting,andthattheirvenomisverymildcomparedtootherbees.Indeed,inthemorethanfouryearsthatwe’vebeenkeepingmasonbees,wehaveyettogetstung!Whichisamazingconsideringthatweoftenstandrightnexttotheirtubeswhilethey’rebusycollectingpollen...alltheydoisbuzzclosetousandlookourway.” Additionally,theychosemasonbeesbecausetheyknewthattherearemanychallengesfacingwildpollinators,suchasdecliningpopulations.Byraisingmasonbees,theyreleasedmanyofthesenativebeesbackintotheirnaturalenvironments,enablingthemtothriveoncemore.
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3�
A beekeeper prepares a smoker by stuffing paper and cardboard into the canister and lighting it.
Right: Author Kari-Lynn Winters experiences the job of a beekeeper first-hand.
Once the frames are removed, the beekeeper can gently inspect the combs or extract honey without harming the bees.
The smoke will make the bees drowsy and less active.
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Honeybeesvisitnearly1,000,000flowersinordertocreateonepound
ofhoney.
A SWEET LifeBesidesthepollenthatcollectsontheirfurrybodiesorintheirpollenbaskets,somebeesalsocollectnectarfromflowers.
Honeybeestakeinthissweetliquidthroughtheirstraw-liketongues.Forashorttimethenectarisstoredintheirhoneystomachsuntiltheycangetbacktotheirnestorhive.Onceintheirhomes,thehoneybeesregurgitatethenectarfromtheirhoneystomachs,passitfrombeetobee,and
thenspititintothewaxcells,allthewhilemixingitwithenzymesfromtheirheadsandmouths.Thentomakethenectarlessrunny,theyfanitwiththeirwings.Themovingairhelpstheexcessivewaterinthenectartoevaporate.Thecellisthencappedwithbeeswax.Honeybeessavethisstorednectarorhoneytohelpthemsurviveduringthewintermonths.Beekeeperscollectexcesshoneybyslicingoffthecapswithathinhoneyknifeandspinningthecombsinamachinecalledanextractor.