Ending Strong: Bees in the Garden

Bees at Work in the Garden

1A garden is full of buzzing visitors, and many of them are bees. Many bees live together in a home called a hive, and from there they fly out to nearby flowers. A busy hive can hold thousands of bees, and each bee has a job to do. Some bees search for food, while others stay inside and care for the hive. Bees visit a garden for one simple reason. They are hungry! Flowers make a sweet liquid called nectar, and bees love to drink it.

2While a bee sips nectar, tiny grains called pollen stick to the hairs on its fuzzy body. When the bee flies to the next flower, some of the pollen rubs off. Moving pollen from one flower to another is called pollination. The bee does not plan to do this job. It happens while the bee looks for food. A bee can visit many flowers before it flies home.

3Pollination matters because many plants need it to make seeds and fruit. Some plants get help from the wind or from other animals, but bees are among the most important pollinators. After a flower is pollinated, it can grow into a juicy fruit or a pod full of seeds. Many of the apples, berries, and squash that people eat began as flowers that bees visited.

4Bees also make honey. Worker bees carry nectar back to the hive, where it is turned into honey. The bees store the honey in small wax cells. When the weather turns cold and flowers stop blooming, the honey feeds the bees until spring.