Nature Net News - July 2011 - Buzzing Bees
Nature Net News Your source for tips & tricks for exploring nature with your kids Dear Reader, What's the buzz about bees? "How doth the little busy Bee Improve each shining Hour, And gather Honey all the day From every opening Flower!" "Against Idleness And Mischief" by Isaac Watts Plenty! Bees are busy pollinators, and their pollination helps produce over one-third of the human diet! That's not even including the delicious honey in everything from our morning tea to our lip balm. However, bees are often vilified due to the little stinger that they use for defense, in addition to their aggressive relatives, including the wasp, which patterns itself after the bee. Some bees, such as the bumblebee, sting very rarely and are quite mild. These buzzing beauties are in danger due to many modern factors, including pesticides (they don't distinguish between bugs), climate change (seasonal changes are affecting the synchronization of flower openings and bee...