You have 4 sites to visit.

#1    HoneyBee Parasites

Where have all the bees gone?  Researchers have identified two parasites that are contributing to the death of honeybee colonies.  You will also discover the importance of honeybees to many good foods you eat and Im not just talking about honey.

·        What are the two parasites and how do the cause deaths in honeybees?

·        List several foods you would no longer enjoy with bee extinctions.

·        Why is it important to preserve commercial honeybee colonies?

#2        Honeybee provide food?

Did you know that many of the foods you ate for lunch was produced through the help of pollinators like honeybees?   The article explains the need for bees as pollinators.

·        List important statistics on the decline of honeybee colonies and the problems associated with this loss of pollinators.

#3    Comparing honeybee and bumblebees

Bumblebees and Honeybees are quite different from one another.  Besides the obvious size difference, what other ways are bumble bee and honeybees different and how are they similar.  This is a rather long article, but use the subheadings to read only the information in the article you will need to compare these two different bee species.

·        Make a Venn diagram to compare and contrast bumble bees and honeybees.  Feel free to make your own or use the template provided at the link. 

·        Could bumble bees take over the pollination capabilities of the honeybees?  Support your answer with at least 2 reasons.

#4    Preserving our bees.

This is a site explains the value of and how to preserve our bees.

 

·        What major role do bees play in terrestrial ecosystems? 

·        If honeybees from other continents are brought to North American, what steps should be taken to insure the survival of the honeybees?