The Fascinating World of Honeybees

1. Warm-Up Questions:

1. What do you know about honeybees and their role in the environment?

2. Have you ever seen a beehive or tasted raw honey? What was your experience?

3. Why do you think honeybees are important to the planet?

4. Are you afraid of bees, or do you find them fascinating? Why?

2. Reading Comprehension

Read the article below and answer to the comprehension questions:

Honeybees are one of the most important species on Earth. They play a crucial role in pollination, helping plants reproduce by transferring pollen between flowers. Without honeybees, many crops and wild plants would struggle to survive, which would impact food supplies for humans and animals alike.

A honeybee colony consists of three types of bees: the queen, workers, and drones. The queen is the leader, and her primary role is to lay eggs. Worker bees are female and perform most of the tasks, such as gathering nectar, building the hive, and feeding the larvae. Drones are male bees whose only job is to mate with the queen.

Honeybees also produce honey, which they create by collecting nectar from flowers. They store the honey in hexagonal wax cells called honeycombs, which are incredibly efficient structures. Honey serves as the bees' food supply during colder months.

Recently, honeybee populations have been declining due to pesticides, climate change, and habitat loss. This has caused concern globally because of the bees’ role in food production and maintaining biodiversity. Efforts to protect honeybees include planting wildflowers, reducing pesticide use, and preserving their habitats.

Comprehension Questions:

1. What is the main role of honeybees in the environment?

2. Name the three types of bees in a colony and describe their roles.

3. How do bees make and store honey?

4. Why are honeybee populations declining?

5. What can people do to protect honeybees?

3. Vocabulary Matching

Match the words to their definitions:

1. Pollination

2. Nectar

3. Habitat

4. Biodiversity

5. Pesticide

a) A natural environment where animals or plants live

b) The transfer of pollen from one flower to another to help plants reproduce

c) The variety of life in a particular environment or ecosystem

d) d) A sweet liquid collected by bees from flowers

e) e) Chemicals used to kill pests that harm crops

4. Discussion Topics:

1. Why do you think honeybees are often called “nature’s heroes”?

2. What would happen to the world if honeybees disappeared?

3. Do you think people should avoid using pesticides to protect bees? Why or why not?

4. Describe one thing you would do to help honeybee populations.

5. Writing Task:

Topic: Describe a day in the life of a worker bee.

6. Honeybee Quiz

Choose the correct answer:

1. What is the main food of honeybees during winter?
   a) Flowers
   b) Honey
   c) Pollen
   
   

2. How many wings does a honeybee have?
   a) Two
   b) Four
   c) Six
   
   

3. What color are most honeybees?
   a) Black and yellow
   b) Brown and red
   c) Green and white
   
   

4. What do bees use to make honeycombs?
   a) Nectar
   b) Wax
   c) Pollen
   
   

7. Holiday Idioms and Expressions

Match the idiom with its meaning:

1. The bee’s knees

2. A hive of activity

3. Make a beeline for

a) Go directly toward something quickly

b) b) Something excellent or amazing

c) c) A place or situation full of busy people and action

8. Wrap-Up Questions:

1. What did you learn today that surprised you about bees?

2. How would you explain the importance of bees to a child?

3. Can you think of one action you can take to protect honeybees?