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Bees - Coggle Diagram
Bees
Natural Sciences
Types of bees
Honey bee,Buff-Tailed Bumblebee,White-Tailed Bumblebee,
Early Bumblebee,Tawny Mining Bee,Red Mason Bee,Ivy Mining Bee,Ashy Mining Bee,Willoughby's Leafcutter Bee, Wool Carder Bee,Hairy-footed Flower Bee,Harebell Carpenter Bee
Colours and shapes of bees
Bees come in all shapes and colours but is most commonly seen in black and yellow within honey bees and bumblebees. Colour and shape vary in different bee species with colours such as a metallic green or blue colour. (Beevive,2025)
Character of bees
Most bees live together in cooperative hives. They are known for performing dance movements to communicate information with other bees in the hive. Communication to inform the other bees about the quality, size and location of food.
Classroom activity
The classroom will be given a picture of bees and there will be a discussion on it. Questions will be asked if they have seen a bee before and what a bee looks like. They will be given activities such as drawing of a bee and colouring in the bee.
Technology
Structure of hive
The shape of the hive ensures its health. The importance of the hive is to protect its queen and brood (baby bees). The bees make a crown of honey filled comb which insulates the brood from temperatures problems. The comb is made from wax and is multifunctional which can hold the brood, nectar pollen or could be left empty as their air-con system. (Bradley,2011)
What environment bees live in
Bees thrive in warm environments.They prefer to live in gardens, meadows, woodlands or wherever there are flowers in close proximity. They build their nests in trees or under objects to hide away from predators. Regardless of certain climates in certain environments, bees maintain their hives with a constant temperature. (Orkin,2025)
Materials used to make the hive
The main ingredient to a beehive is beeswax. It is produced by worker bees glands that convert the sugar contents of honey into this wax.The wax forms thin flakes or scales, which are then chewed and shaped by the bees, effectively forming the building blocks for the hive.
Classroom activity
There will be pictures shown of beehives and a discussion based on the structure of the hive. They will get a chance to describe what they think the hive feels like and will each get a piece of a dried wax. They can experience and observe the wax and discuss what they think the bees do to create it.
Social Sciences
How do bees make honey
When they locate a flower, they will suck nectar—a sugary juice—out of the plant using their extended tongue as a straw. The second stomach, sometimes referred to as the "honey stomach," is where the nectar is kept. The bees will return to their hive and begin distributing the nectar to other bees through their mouths once their second stomach is full.
For around half an hour, these bees will eat on the nectar. After that, they transfer it to another bee! The nectar is transformed into honey when it is transferred from bee to bee. The honeybees will store the nectar in honeycomb cells, which are tiny wax jars, once it has turned into honey. The honey becomes thicker and more similar like syrup rather than delicious juice as the bees flap their wings over it. When the honey is ready to be stored, the bees will use a wax lid to close the cell. At this stage, knowledgeable beekeepers can carefully remove a portion of the completed honey from the hive without endangering the colon
Who do bees work for?
Worker bees have a short life expectancy which is roughly only 30 days. They take on duties such as housekeeper, nurse bee, attendant to the queen bee, architect, ventilator, and guard. The queen attendants must tend to the queen bee’s every need. They must groom her, feed her, keep her hydrated, and clean away any of her waste. By doing this the queen is able to focus on her main duty which is to lay eggs. (Aveole,2024)
Bee keeping
Beekeeping is not done because of the bee species being threatened, instead the bee species are increasing. The reasoning being around the storing of honey. A surplus of honey also opens up a wonderful world of barter and exchange. Keeping bees means beekeepers are more in tune with the rhythm of the seasons.They are more aware of the arrival and departure of migrant birds, the flowering of trees or when the mackerel shoals appear in the loch.
Class Activity
The class will have a discussion based solely on honey. They will be asked open-ended question on where honey can be put in food or drinks and if they like the taste of it. An activity will follow up of them tasting honey and describing the taste.