STEMStart! organized the Engineering a Bee Hive workshop by partnering with the Planet Bee Foundation. ​On August 27, 2022, students ranging from 4th to 8th grades participated in a hands-on 3-hour workshop where they learned about bees. This workshop showed participants different bee specimen, observe hives, question and discuss the life of honeybees, and taste wild honey. While growing interested in the lives of bees, participants also began to understand the struggles of native bee nests and the vital role bees play in our ecosystem. At the end of the workshop, students were quizzed on their knowledge of native and other bees, and finished up the workshop by putting their creativity, knowledge and skills in designing a nest site for native bees. In addition to learning about bees, the participants left the workshop knowing how to create seed balls to help bees pollinate, and to use the iNaturalist app to identify bee species and plants.​

Missed the event? See the event slides to start learning about bees!

Note: For viewing the embedded videos, manually traverse the embedded slides here

Why did STEMStart! choose bees as the area of interest? 
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The short answer is, bees matter.

Bees provide food

Bees foster jobs
Bees are one of the world's most important pollinators for food crops — each day we rely on bees and other pollinators. A vast majority of flowering plants rely on pollinators to reproduce. Fruits and vegetables all rely on pollinators transporting pollen from one flower to the next. But the value of bees goes beyond just supplying countless fruits and vegetables. Bees are also responsible for honey, nuts, coffee, and even spices. One out of every three bites we consume relies on pollination. Yet bee populations continue to decline due to the rampant use of pesticides and other environmental factors — like climate change.
There are many cool jobs and volunteering opportunities that youth, once they become experts in bees, can take on. These jobs range from being a bee-keeper, to a postdoctoral bee researcher, to a bee geneticist, to an apiary inspector, to a queen rearer. Other related jobs include being an educator on bees. Moreover, there are a variety of diverse jobs postdoctoral bee researchers can take on. They can research bee genetics, physiology, biochemistry, bee diseases, and parasites to research on ways to protect bees and their environments, conservation and bee pollination. Due to this, students interested in bees can pursue higher education in related fields spanning entomology, animal science, molecular biology, genetics, ecology, and other related biology fields.

Bees nurture the ecosystem

Nearly 90% of flowering plant species on the planet require pollinators to aid in reproduction. This not only provides a food system for wildlife, but it also creates shelter for animals. They also help provide ½ of the world’s fibers, oils, and other raw materials, help create many medicines, provide food for wildlife, and help prevent soil erosion!

Bee Demographics: The Bee Big Picture

There are 
bee species globally
out of which
bee species native to the U.S
Honey bees are one such prominent species. There are 
million western honey bee hives globally

Solutions to Help Bees

Plant a Bee Garden
One of the largest threats to bees is a lack of safe habitat where they can build homes and find a variety of nutritious food sources. By planting a bee garden, you can create a safe haven for bees with pollen- and nectar-rich flowers by planting a range of shapes, sizes, colors, and bloom times. You don’t need a ton of space to grow bee-friendly plants — gardens can be established across yards and in window boxes, flower pots, and mixed into vegetable gardens. Seek out native flowering plants as often as possible as many bee species have co-evolved to feed exclusively on native flowers and need them to survive. The easiest way to plant a bee garden is to make seed balls of native flowering plants' seeds and plant them through guerrilla gardening, which does not require a big plot size.  

Go Chemical-Free for Bees
Regardless of which flowers you plant, avoid using pesticides and herbicides. Synthetic pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, and neo-nicotinoids are harmful to bees, wreaking havoc on their sensitive systems. A garden can thrive without these harmful chemicals — in fact, one goal of a bee-friendly garden is to build a sustainable ecosystem that keeps itself in check by fostering beneficial populations. If a pesticide is necessary, choose a targeted organic product, and always avoid applying pesticides when flowers are blooming or directly to the soil.

Become a Community Scientist
Join a global movement to collect data on bees! Community science transforms the passion and interest of regular people into data-driven activities that support scientific research. By participating in a community science project, you can provide important insights and local knowledge, which can lead to more relevant and useful research outcomes. Join the Bee Conservancy's “A Bee Or Not a Bee” iNaturalist project, which invites participants to document and upload species on iNaturalist, collaborating with naturalists around the world to determine whether the insect buzzing by is a bee, wasp, fly, or other common bee doppelgänger.

Provide Trees for Bees
Bees get most of their nectar from trees. When a tree blooms, it provides hundreds — if not thousands — of blossoms to feed from. Trees are not only a great food source for bees, but also an essential habitat. Tree leaves and resin provide nesting material for bees, while natural wood cavities make excellent shelters. Native trees such as maples, redbuds, and black cherry all attract and support bees. You can help bolster bee food sources and habitat by caring for and planting trees. Trees are also great at sequestering carbon, managing our watersheds, and cooling air temperatures.

Create a Bee Bath & Leave Stems Behind
Bees work up quite a thirst foraging and collecting nectar. Fill a shallow bird bath or bowl with clean water, and arrange pebbles and stones inside so that they break the water’s surface. Bees will land on the stones and pebbles to take a long, refreshing drink.

30% of bees live in holes inside of trees, logs, or hollow plant stems. Don’t cut those hollow stems, which are valuable bee habitats. A hollow stem may not seem like prime real estate to us, but to mason and other bees, it’s a cozy home in which they may overwinter. Wait until the spring to cut back dead flower stalks, leaving stems 8 to 24 inches high.

Support Local Beekeepers and Organizations
Local beekeepers work hard to nurture their bees and the local community. The easiest way to show your appreciation is to buy locally-made honey and beeswax products. Many beekeepers use products from their hives to create soaps, lotions, and beeswax candles. Plus, local honey is not only delicious — it is made from local flora and may help with seasonal allergies! You can also give time, resources, and monetary donations to local beekeeping societies and environmental groups to help their programs grow.

FAQs on Bees

WHAT IS POLLINATiON?
Pollination occurs when insects — like bees and other pollinators — travel from one plant to the next, fertilizing the plant. Bees have little hairs all over their body that attract pollen. When the pollen from a flower sticks to a bee, it then travels with the bee to its next destination. When a bee lands on the next plant or flower, the pollen is distributed which results in cross-pollination. This process is what later yields fruits, vegetables, and seeds.
COMMON TERMS and definitions
Entomology: Entomology is the scientific study of all insects and their relationship with the environment, plants, humans and other animals.

Mellitology: A person who studies bees generally, is a mellitologist. According to the Journal of Melittology, the subject of mellitology is about “bee biology, ecology, evolution, & systematics”.

Apiology: The scientific or systematic study of honey bees.

Apiculture:  Concerned with the study and practice of rearing and keeping of honey bees.
What are the different types of bee-keeping? 
Apiculturist: A person who engages in the study and practice of the rearing and keeping of honey bees. 

Apiarist: A ‘bee farmer’ – a person who keeps an apiary for the purpose of harvesting products like honey, usually along commercial lines.
USEFUL EXTERNAL RESOURCES
Planet Bee Foundation Website: https://www.planetbee.org/

All About Bees Website: https://www.buzzaboutbees.net/what-is-a-bee-expert-called.html

Bee Conservancy Organization Website: https://thebeeconservancy.org/10-ways-to-save-the-bees/
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Friends of the Earth Website: https://foe.org/blog/why-are-bees-important/