Bees

Why are bees so important for our food?

An exploration of how bees facilitate global food production and why their role extends far beyond honey production.

Check your understanding

1. What primary evolutionary reason caused bees to become distinct from their predatory wasp ancestors?
- A. They wanted to live in larger social groups.
- B. They began collecting pollen to feed their young.
- C. They wanted to avoid being eaten by birds.
- D. They started protecting flowers from other insects.
2. Which term describes a bee's tendency to visit only one type of flower during a single foraging trip?
- A. Floral constancy
- B. Buzz pollination
- C. Cross-pollination
- D. Selective foraging
3. In the process of pollination, what part of the flower is known as the female part?
- A. The stamen
- B. The nectar
- C. The stigma
- D. The stem
4. Which of the following describes a key difference between honey bees and solitary bees?
- A. Solitary bees produce more honey than honey bees.
- B. Honey bees are less social than solitary bees.
- C. Solitary bees do not live in hives and lack a queen.
- D. Honey bees are the only bees capable of pollination.

1. Why is 'buzz pollination' performed by some native bees important for agriculture?
- A. It helps bees produce more honey during the winter.
- B. It allows bees to protect the hive from predators.
- C. It shakes pollen loose from flowers that honey bees cannot open.
- D. It helps the bees navigate back to the hive during storms.
2. How does the decline of bee populations negatively impact the stability of the food web for livestock?
- A. Bees are a primary food source for most cattle and sheep.
- B. Bees pollinate legumes like alfalfa which are used to feed livestock.
- C. Bees maintain the water supply that livestock drink from.
- D. Bees aerate the soil necessary for grazing pasture survival.
3. What is meant by the 'four pillars of decline' in bee health?
- A. Habitat loss, pesticides, climate change, and disease.
- B. Over-farming, lack of sunshine, predators, and water pollution.
- C. Pollination competition, hive overcrowding, heat, and migration.
- D. Soil depth, lack of minerals, invasive beetles, and urban noise.
4. How does climate change specifically disrupt the relationship between plants and bees?
- A. It causes bees to stop drinking nectar to avoid heat.
- B. It changes the color of flowers so bees cannot find them.
- C. It forces bees to hibernate for longer periods during the winter.
- D. It causes a mismatch between when plants bloom and when bees emerge.

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