Take a Closer Look at Bees by JoAnn Early Macken Content Consultant Dr Marla Spivak Department of Entomology University of Minnesota RED CHAIR PRESS TM
1 Why Are Bees Important to Us 4
Picture a bee What comes to mind A fuzzy striped bumblebee A shiny green sweat bee A honey bee in a hive About 20,000 species of bees live around the world North America is home to 4,000 of them Most bees live alone Some live in small groups Others form colonies Many bees such as mining bees live in holes in the ground They dig tunnels in sunny spots Other types take over holes in dead trees bored by beetles or birds Mason bees build nests from mud Leaf cutter bees wrap pieces of petals or leaves in their nests Wool carder bees line their nests with plant fi bers All bees are insects They have six legs and three body parts head thorax and abdomen All bees have two sets of wings Bees begin their lives as eggs They change into larvae and then pupae before they become adults 5
