Presented by: Lisa Higgins and Dee Dee Barnard
In this activity, you will learn about the importance of honeybees. You will create a seed bomb to place in your yard to "save the honeybees."
Did you know there are more than 20,000 species of bees?
Bees are found all over the world except Antarctica. Bees feed on pollens and nectar from flowering plants. They have a long and complex tongue that helps them obtain nectar from the flowers. Most bees live together in colonies. A colony has a queen, many worker bees (all females) and male bees. Each worker bee has a job to do. The worker bees are divided into different groups, each with its own task. Male bees are called drones. They live in the colony in spring and summer but are kicked out before winter. Some worker bees produce the wax which is used to build the combs, the hexagonal structure in hives.
Bees work all year long to keep their comb tidy, warm, safe, and take care of the young. You must have heard the term busy as a bee. Bees are very hard working. The worker bees go from one flower to another, collecting nectar. In one collection trip, a bee visits 50 to 100 flowers! And they fly at a speed of 15 miles per hour. Can you imagine how hard it is to produce honey? Bees make around 1600 round trips to produce one ounce of honey.
How can you help bees and other pollinator insects? Provide them with food and water. Follow the directions below for the honey bee seed bombs. Do your part in helping and saving the Honey Bees!
Pinch clay into six pieces in similar sizes and roll into balls.
Press thumb into each ball to make a bowl.
Sprinkle potting soil into each bowl.
Using seed packet, empty seeds into palm of hand and sprinkle into the clay bowls of potting soil.
Fold and pinch the sides of the bowls together to seal the seeds in the clay bowl.
Roll into balls and roll balls into the remaining potting soil.
Allow to dry for a couple of days.
Once dry, toss seed bombs in an area that gets plenty of sun after the last frost and watch for the flowers to bloom.