short quiz on solitary bees and bumblebees

1. 1. Do any of these names NOT
belong to a real species of bee?
A – Carpenter Bee
B – Hairy-Footed Flower Bee
C – Wool Carder Bee
D – Ashy Mining Bee
2. How many workers can live in
a bumblebee colony?
A – 1-40
B – 50-500
C – 600-1,000
D – 10,000-50,000
3. Which type of bee pollinates
the most plants in a day?
A – Honey Bees
B – Solitary Bees
C – Bumble Bees
4. Where do solitary bees build
their nests?
A – Bee Hotels
B – Tunnels in the ground
C – Hollow reeds
D – Holes in wood
What do you call large groups of
solitary bee nests?
A – Bee Hive Estates
B – Colonies
C – Aggregations
D – Housing Estates

2. 2. Bumblebee colonies tend to be on average 120-200 in size but can be as large as 500.
Remember honeybee hives can have as many as 50,000 bees in one hive. As bumblebees
are declining and fewer than half the colonies survive one season - it is important to
conserve them by not disturbing their hive if you find one.
3. It is in fact the bumblebees and solitary
bees that pollinate more plants per day
than honeybees. Bumblebees tend to be
hairier and have vibration techniques to
collect more pollen in the same way that
some solitary bees are especially adapted
to pollinate certain plants (known as
“oligoleges”). The decline of these types
of bees will also endanger the survival of
the plant. Remember though that the
honeybee has more jobs than the solitary
bee and bumblebee. It produces honey
and beeswax and takes care of a big
family!
1. All these names belong to a real species of bee including the Hairy-Footed
Flower Bee and are named for their special characteristics:
A – The Carpenter bee bores holes into wood to make its nest
B - The Hairy-Footed Flower bee has hairy feet!
C – The Wool Carder bee collects hairs from plants to line its egg cells
D – The Ashy Mining bee seeks chalky ground in which to burrow to create its nest
Solitary bees, like bumblebees, are not aggressive and will not sting you unless
you bother them
4. Solitary bees build their nests in all the
places mentioned. If people are nice
enough to build a hotel they are happy to
nest there as long as it is clean and well
maintained! Bees are very sensitive to
chemicals - and will not for instance nest
in ground that might contain chemical
fertilizer or insecticide – so we need to
try and make sure not to use it in our
gardens.
5. Large groups of
solitary bee nests are
called “aggregations”.