GAME OF HIVEST E A C H I N G A B O U T B E E S I N T H E C L A S S R O O M
AT L A N T I C S C I E N C E T E A C H E R S ’ C O N F E R E N C E
2 0 1 6
O B J E C T I V E ST E A C H E R S W I L L H A V E AT L E A S T 3 A C T I V I T I E S T H E Y C A N D O I N T H E C L A S S R O O M B A S E D O N W H AT T H E Y ’ V E L E A R N E D A B O U T B E E S I N N O V A S C OT I A .
T E A C H E R S W I L L L E A R N T H E B A S I C C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S A N D F A C T S A B O U T B E E S I N N O V A S C OT I A ( D I F F E R E N T T Y P E S ) .
T E A C H E R S W I L L L E A R N S P E C I F I C F A C T S A B O U T H O N E Y B E E S I N N O V A S C OT I A , A N I N T R O D U C E D S P E C I E S , I N C L U D I N G A N AT O M Y, L I F E C Y C L E , H O W H O N E Y I S M A D E , L I F E I N T H E H I V E , A N D C U R R E N T T H R E AT S T O B E E S .
T E A C H E R S W I L L G E T A C C E S S T O A N E W O N L I N E R E S O U R C E W H I C H W I L L F A C I L I TAT E T H E I R A C C E S S T O “ R E A L ” B E E I N F O R M AT I O N F R O M N O V A S C OT I A , B A S E D O N T H E B E E H I V E AT T H E M U S E U M O F N AT U R A L H I S T O R Y.
WHO AM I?• Assistant Coordinator of Interpretation with the Nova Scotia Museum
of Natural History
– Leading and developing interpretation programs
– Care of live animals (including honey bees!)
• Completed a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Environmental Studies
• Continuing education through workshops and certificates, including
beekeeping through Dalhousie’s Faculty of Agriculture.
WHAT IS A BEE?• A bee is a flying insect.
• Bees mainly eat pollen and nectar.
• Most bees live in nests
underground.
WHAT DO BEESEAT?
WHERE DOES A BEE LIVE?
LIFECYCLE
Similar lifecycles: Darkling beetles
(mealworms), butterflies and ladybugs.
Adult
Egg
Larva
Pupa
Photo: Honey bee worker life cycle
HONEY BEES VS. BUMBLE BEES• There are nearly 50 species of bumble bee in
North America.
• Bumble bees are truly social bees, however
their nests are usually smaller with different life
spans for the bees.
• Bumble bees do not make honey.
• In North America, all honey bees are members
of the same species, Apis mellifera, also known as
the European Honey Bee.
• Honey bees are an introduced species.
• Honey bees are truly social bees. They live in a
colony and divide up labour.
A N A T O M Y
BUILD A BEE
A C T I V I T Y
‘ B E E ’ H A V I O U R A N D R O L E S
Q U E E N :
• O N E P E R H I V E
• 2 - 5 Y E A R L I F E S PA N
• L AY S 1 0 0 0 E G G S / D AY
D R O N E :
• M A L E
• M AT E S T H E N D I E S
• L I V E S A B O U T 9 0 D AY S
W O R K E R :
• F E M A L E
• L I V E S 4 - 6 W E E K S I N S U M M E R , L O N G E R I N W I N T E R
• O N LY Q U E E N C A N R E P L A C E
COMMUNICATION: THE WAGGLE DANCE
BUILD A HIVEL I F E I N T H E H O N E Y B E E H I V E
A C T I V I T Y
F L O W E R P O W E R
W H Y A R E F L OW E R S
I M P O RTA N T TO
B E E S ?
W H Y A R E B E E S
I M P O RTA N T TO
F L OW E R S ?
WINTER IS COMING…
What do bees do in the
winter?
I S I T A B E E ? M A Y B E E !
BEE FAMILIES• More than 20,000 species of bees
worldwide, with more than 200
species in Nova Scotia alone!
• North American Families include:
Andrenidae
Colletidae
Melittidae
Halictidae
Megachilidae
Apidae
Honey bee scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Apis
Species: A. mellifera
A BEE OR NOT A BEE?
A C T I V I T Y
I D E N T I F I C A T I O N T I P SBEES WASPS FLIES
Usually thick body, but with
distinction between thorax
and abdomen
Skinny body with narrow
waist, and distinction
between thorax and
abdomen
Usually short and stocky
body with little to no
distinction between thorax
and abdomen
Four wings Four wings Two wings
Usually long, slender
antennae
Usually long, slender
antennae closer together
Usually short antennae
Often very hairy Usually hairless Sometimes have hairs
Pollen collecting hairs on
belly or legs of females
No pollen collecting hairs No pollen collecting hairs
Eyes on the side of the
head
Eyes on the side of the
head
Eyes forward facing and
sometimes touching on top
of the head
Q U E S T I O N S A N D C O M M E N T S
D O N ’ T ‘ B E E ’ S HY !