Bee Curious, Bee Informed, and Bee Friendly - PowerPoint Presentation

Slide1

Bee Curious, Bee Informed, and Bee Friendly

By Bonnie Steinhauser

University of Nebraska Lincoln

ENTO 896- Erin Bauer-2017Slide2

Children’s ProgramSlide3

https://youtu.be/aQmDf8SMRSoSlide4

A Brush with a Bee Discussion

What happened in the film?

The bee was bothering the painter so he tries to get the bee to go away and the painting got ruined

Why did the bee like the painting so much?

It was a flower, the bees favorite!

What happened in the end?

The painter became very famous because the bee turned his painting into a modern painting

Bee Safety-Let it ‘Bee”

They are on a mission to find food, not hurt you

more dangerous near the colony-protecting the qu

een and stored food

Only 1% of people are allergic (to honeybees)

Can we all ‘bee’ friends?

Plant native flowers, let it ‘bee’, don’t spray harmful chemicalsSlide5

What is a Bee?

What is a bee?

Fuzzy = Friendly

Anato

my

Legs-6

Eyes-2

Antennae-2

Wings-4

Life Cycle -Four stages

Egg

Larvae – multiple sizes

Pupae

Adult

A bee colony

The Queen Bee

- “The heart of the hive”

Lays the eggs to make new bees

Drones

- “Dad Bees”

Help the queen make baby bees

Workers

- “Gather and Guard”

Help find food for the baby bees and the protect the hive

Bee Cards- W

hat kinds of bees are there?Slide6

The Beeman

(book for groups 3-5yrs old)

What does the Beeman do in the book?

He helps take care of the bees

and harvests

some of the honey for family & friends

We can also do it for other reasons (wax products, help the environment/bees)

Why does the Beeman need a suit and a smoker?

To protect him from bee stings

To calm the bees down and let them know he is coming

What are the three main types of bees in the hive?Queen DronesWorkersWhy does the Beeman wrap his hives up all snug and warm?Bees don’t like cold weather, must stay warm to live and make more honey next yearBees and Flowers (fruits & vegetables too) need each otherPollination (helping produce more food and flowers...and more bees!)Bees are part of important food chains

The Bee Dance-The Waggle

“Hey friends, food is this way!”

https://youtu.be/xe3LZBDcQvESlide7

What If There Were No Bees?

(book for groups 6+ yrs old)

Why are bees important?

Flowers, fruits, and vegetables depend on them for pollination

We depend on the fruits, veggies, and nuts to reproduce for food for us

Why are the flowers and fruits also important to the bees?

So they can help bees produce hone

y

So the bees can feed their young

So we can have more bee colonies to help pollinate

To keep food chains in place

What are some dangers to bees?Mites, diseases, pesticides, poor nutrition, and predatorsWhat is CCD?multi-factor system that causes a mass of worker bees to leave the current colony and queen behind maybe due to disease, pesticides, or changes in habitat

What would happen without Bees?

Low fruit, vegetable, and nut productions

No seed production of flowering bushes (berries)

Breakdown in the food chains no berries or bees for birds and squirrelsno small animals for larger animalsno honey for bears

The Bee Dance-The Waggle

“Hey friends, food is this way!”

https://youtu.be/xe3LZBDcQvESlide8

Activities and Crafts!!!!!!

‘Help the Bee find its way to gather pollen from the flower and COLOR FUN

Matching activity and COLOR FUN

Fuzzy Friendly Bee Craft!

Tape antennae at the top of the stick-give it a bend at the end

Tape

fuzzy pom poms to craft stick

Tape wings on

Glue Eyes and add magnet

(adults help!)

FLY YOUR BEE AROUND AND WAGGLE

Slide9

Bee Curious, Bee Informed, and Bee Friendly

By Bonnie Steinhauser

University of Nebraska Lincoln

ENTO 896- Erin Bauer-2017Slide10

Adult ProgramSlide11

The Bee BookThe wonder of bees, how to protect them, & beekeeping know-howAn Amazing World of BeesWhat is a Bee

Head, thorax, wings,

etc.…Characteristics that make them special: hairs on body (electrically charged), hind legs (pollen basket in some), wings joined by small hooks allows them to move as one, stinger (few species can-and only females if so), & an especially long proboscis.

Evolution and Pollination

100mya it is thought that bees evolved from wasps that fed on pollen covered insects and began to prefer pollen

55mya social living develops

LOTS of different bees around the world (pg.19 and bee cards)

Solitary bees-the vast majority, they live and create their nests alone, but may nest near other solitary bees giving the appearance of a colony

Semi-social bees such as sweat bees and bumblebees are primitively social, they loosely maintained colonies as a group

Honeybees-very social-strict division of maintaining coloniesSlide12

The Bee BookThe wonder of bees, how to protect them, & beekeeping know-howBee structure and Biology-SOPHISTICATEDColony castes (queen, drone, workers)

Four stage life cycle (Egg, larvae-may have multiple instars, pupae, adult)

Maintain hive temperatures using flight muscles in their thorax to heat and fanning with their wings to coolCommunication-The waggle

Displays figure eight first, then waggles a line through the two loops-the direction of the line describes the angle from the sun the other bees should take to find food

Chemical reactions

Honeybees make over 50 pheromones (queen pheromone–provides the greatest number of applications, brood, alarm, recruitment pheromones,

act.)

Science behind foraging

Scent signals emitted by flowers plus visual range of colors and patterns (some plain flowers display great patterns to a bees eye) allow bees to find food

Bees also use a flowers electrical field to navigate the source of the nectarSlide13

The Bee BookThe wonder of bees, how to protect them, & beekeeping know-howAttracting beesBee homes- creating homes for solitary bees

Bamboo, clay, wood block, sod, pallets

Plants for Bees- Lots of garden options for bees, not just wildflowersPerennials, biennials, annuals, bulbs, trees, shrubs, climbers, veggies, & herbs

Caring for Bees

(Lots of information!)

Research and Supplies

Maintaining & Inspecting

Managing Pests & Diseases

Honey Stores

Swarming

Queen Problems & Preparing for winterSlide14

The Bee BookThe wonder of bees, how to protect them, & beekeeping know-howEnjoying Bee BountyHarvesting honey

Harvesting beeswax

Making CandlesHealth and Beauty TreasuresAntibacterial properties of propolis (collected from trees)Bee-Pocalypse

Every year we hear of more bee deaths caused by new diseases and pests, greater habitat loss (monoculture farming), pesticide spraying, migratory beekeeping

Pollination is VALUABLE

Loss of bees results in ecosystem breakdown, they are a

keystone species

Reversing the Decline—We will revisit this at the endSlide15

Image Credit: Keri CarstensSlide16

Bee UnderstandingA Video by the Honeybee Health CoalitionCommercial Beekeeper, Entomologist, Crop Consultant, & Farmer Experiencing and learning together for a greater understanding

https://youtu.be/KBsrvJ2-7xYSlide17

Bee UnderstandingDiscussion Commercial BeekeeperFirst impression- “Not as much ‘neonic dust’ coming off as he thoughtHe doesn’t necessarily think neonics are the biggest problem, but its one among several

Solutions- talk farmers into a different type of spray or other systemic pesticides. Beekeepers use pesticides to, they both need them.

Communication and cooperation is the key; solutions instead of finger pointing

Entomologist

Sees that natural forage is being replaced by corn and soybean – which bees

don't

pollinate

Pathogens/Pests, Poor Nutrition, & Pesticides

Solutions-ask farmers to plant native pollinator species around edges and in ditches around the crops

The issue is too big for beekeepers to deal with it aloneSlide18

Bee UnderstandingDiscussionCrop ConsultantFingers are getting pointed first at modern farm productionSolutions- beekeepers should register hives and farmers should be diligent in checking the register so they can work together

Greater awareness – Were all in this together

FarmerEven though corn doesn’t need the honeybee, if something he is using is harmful he wants to correct it and not be a hindrance to bees

‘Neonic-dust’

What’s happening to bees is more than one main cause, there needs to be more dialogue and work together

Overall, beekeepers have generally been alon

e. Corporations are always looking to better agriculture and produce more food. The feeling is that now its time to work together and help the bees!!Slide19

Evolution of information: An evaluation of the popular 2010 Documentary: Vanishing of the Bees The film has good information about bees in general, their history, biology, and how they are important. It really touches on the first era of discovering that there was something wrong with the bees and raises very important questions. If does a great job at inspiring an audience to do something about an issue

However, its an older documentary and there is sometimes less of a feeling of scientific approach and more of a one sided finger pointing approach.

At the French/American beekeepers meeting the French ultimately say that there is a multitude of factors affecting bees and pesticides were the icing on the cake. If we just focus on pesticides alone we will get nowhere, but the video sheds less light on this

What about beekeepers that don’t believe in using preventative methods or treatment for varroa mites and other pests or diseases.

What about migratory beekeeping and genetic overbreeding too? The film barely touches on this

Almost 10 yrs ago some ideas for what was happening to bees were cell phones, rapture, and even conspiracies of Russian using satellites to kill bees, look how far we have come

Time for a

Vanishing of the Bees: Part Two??Slide20

Evolution of information: An evaluation of the popular 2010 Documentary: Vanishing of the Bees Point being: Research is evolving and we are learning more everyday. What we can learn from the Bee Understanding video is that we should be open minded, practice good communication and learn what we can do on all sides to fix the issues

Image credit:

Keri CarstensSlide21

Interacting Stressors

Scientists are focused on the interaction of multiple factors:

Parasites (

Varroa

mites)

Diseases (

Nosema

, bacteria and viruses)

Weather patterns and changing climate

Beekeeping practices

Transportation stress

Lack of genetic diversity

Artificial food sources

Pest management within colonies

Pesticides (used in hives and in agriculture)

Lack of suitable habitat

Lack of varied diet

Queen failure

Information Sources: U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency National Honey Bee Health Stakeholder Conference Steering Committee, 2013. Report on the National Honey Bee Health Stakeholder Conference (October 2012).

http://www.usda.gov/documents/ReportHoneyBeeHealth.pdfSlide22

Help for Bees-Wider Perspectives Commercial pollination changesUnder planting fruit trees to maintain diverse landscapeProductive land use and healthy wild populations can coexistLand use changes

Land sparing vs. land sharing

(controversy about which is better)Sparing maximizes crop yields on fewer, larger farms = bigger farms but more areas of untouched wildlifeSharing promotes wildlife friendly, smaller scale/yielding farms = smaller farms but more wilderness in an equivalent area is used

Fighting disease

Research to understand and utilize a bees gut microbiome

Breeding disease resistant bees

Ongoing scientific research

Radar tagging to understand bee behavior

Raising bees in the lab to understand how larvae are affected (most research involves adults)Slide23

Help for Bees-Individual RolesCreate Pollinator Gardens Plant, Grow, Fly-Blank Park ZooManage your expectations and consider how you want your garden to look as wellMany native plants can get very tall and look weedy and unkempt

Not only wildflower gardens are helpful. Trees, shrubs, veggies and herbs too!

Go to local greenhouses, ask if they treat with insecticidesBe cautious of pre-made packets, these can contain invasive species. If

you

choose one make sure it is native to your region

Pollinator Partnership

Guides and information on what to plant and where to get them in handout

Its not just about honeybees, all bees are important so plant a variety to add good nutritional value

Eva Crane and Dr. Dale Hill

Not ready for that?

Join a conservation campaign to help plant habitats in conservation sectorsSlide24

Help for Bees-Individual RolesKeeping Bees Take into account that we must be responsible beekeepers to minimize spreading disease and pressure on wild pollinators. There are many opinions and lots of information out there so make sure what you are reading/watching is a reliable source such as .edu or .org websites or well accredited persons and books. Be sure to do your own research and do what is right for your purposes and region of the country, methods in Texas are not the same as Iowa.

Bee Apart Bee Together- Erin Miller runs the East Central Iowa Beekeeping classes

http://www.beeapartbeetogether.com/The Bee Book

Scientific Beekeeping.com –Randy Oliver

Consider cost and investment-it’s a commitment

Not quite your thing?

Try building a bee hotel for solitary beesSlide25

BibliographyBlank Park Zoo-Plant. Grow. Fly Webpage.

https://www.blankparkzoo.com/conservation/plantgrowfly/create-your-garden/

Carstens, Keri -Pollinator Health Team. Interview by Bonnie Steinhauser. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Bee Outreach Program. 9 June. 2017.

Chadwick, F., Alton, S., Tennant, E.S., Fitzmaurice, B., & Earl, J.

(2016).

The Bee Book.

new York: DK Publishing

Crespin, R., Olsen-Harbich, E., & McCulley, C. (2016).

The Bee

Understanding

Film ProjectDes Moines Backyard Beekeepers – 11 Anonymous Surveys taken by Bonnie Steinhauser. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Bee Outreach Program. 13 June. 2017.Honeybee Health Coalition Website. Information Retrieved June-July 2017. http://honeybeehealthcoalition.org/Jason Foley-Master Beekeeper. Interview by Bonnie Steinhauser. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Bee Outreach Program. 12 June. 2017.Krebs, Laurie & Cis, Valerie. (2009). The Beeman. Great Britain: Barefoot Books.Langworthy, G. Henein, M., Erskine, J., Gazecki, W., and Page, E. (2011). Vanishing of the bees. http://www.vanishingbees.com/Lowry, Jessie-Blank Park Zoo: Plant Grow Fly program-Phone Interview by Bonnie Steinhauser. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Bee Outreach Program. June. 2017.Miller, Erin-Master Beekeeper. Interview by Bonnie Steinhauser. University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Bee Outreach Program. 12 June. 2017.Montana Pollinator Education Project-Bee Cards.

http://

agr.mt.gov/Ag-in-the-Classroom

. K-8 projects.

Nature Kenya Bee hotel. http://discoverpollinators.org/learn-to-build-your-own-wild-bee-hotel/Pollinator Partnership Website. Information Retrieved June-July 2017. http://pollinator.orgReiman Gardens Website. Information Retrieved June-July 2017. http://www.reimangardens.com/Slade, Suzanne & Schwartz, Carol. (2011). What if There Were No Bees? Minnesota: Capstone Publishing