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Bees

Definition

Bees are flying insects known for their role in pollination and producing honey and beeswax. They are a keystone species, meaning they have a disproportionately large effect on their environment relative to their abundance.

Analogy

Think of bees as the mail carriers of the plant world. Just like mail carriers deliver letters from one house to another, bees transfer pollen from male flower parts to female flower parts, enabling plants to produce fruit and seeds.

Related terms

Pollination: This is the process by which pollen is transferred from the male parts of a flower (anthers) to the female part (stigma) of the same or another flower. This leads to fertilization and then seed production.

Honeycomb: This is a mass of hexagonal wax cells built by honey bees in their nests to contain larvae and stores of honey and pollen.

Colony Collapse Disorder: This term refers to a phenomenon where worker bees abruptly disappear from a colony, leaving behind only a queen bee and immature bees. It's an issue that threatens global agriculture due to our reliance on bees for pollination.