Buzz About BEES excerpt.pdf

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

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.

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.

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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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.