Why are honey bees important?

bees Gathering Food

Bees are insects that depend on flowers for food. They eat a powder in flowers called pollen and collect a sweet liquid called nectar.

Members of a Honey Bee Colony Honey bees live in hives. Each hive contains a queen, female workers (pictured, right), and male drones. The queen lays up to 1,000 eggs a day. Worker bees gather food, make honey, tend eggs, and guard the hive. Drones mate with the queen, and then die.

Bumblebee Pollinating

When a bee such as this bumblebee visits a flower, tiny grains called pollen stick to the bee. The bee then carries the pollen to another flower. This process, known as pollination, is necessary for many plants to make seeds and fruit.

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Carpenter Bee Carpenter bees got their name because they tunnel through wood to make their nests. The chewing sounds these bees make can be heard several feet away!