This page shows questions in the Honeybees and Almond Trees public release module at MSDE. Life Science MISA
"Honeybees and Almond Trees"
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Bee Populations
California supplies over 80% of the world's almonds. Each spring millions of honeybees are shipped to California. Almond growers need the honeybees to pollinate their trees. Almond trees rely on honeybee pollination. The almond growers look for hives that can be rented for the pollination season. The table summarizes the large number of honeybees needed.
| California Hives | |
| Hives in California | Hives Needed to Pollinate California Orchards |
|---|---|
| ~500,000 | ~2,000,000 |
Honeybees live in a structure called a hive. A hive consists of
- one queen bee that lays all the eggs for the hive,
- hundreds of male drones whose only job is to mate with the queen,
- and 20,000–80,000 worker bees who are responsible for pollination.
Two or more hives are needed per acre to pollinate the almond trees. The graphs show the number of hives and the almond tree acreage over a nine-year period.
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Changing Conditions
During the winter, almond trees remain dormant, existing on stored water and nutrients. In early spring, almond trees begin blooming. The honeybees are released to begin four weeks of work moving from tree to tree pollinating each bloom.
Other insects add competition for the honeybees. The competition causes honeybees to pollinate at a higher rate. All these honeybees together from so many different places could potentially spread viruses and diseases. This could result in a loss of honeybees and, ultimately, almonds. The table summarizes several key factors in bee losses.
| Bee Losses | ||
| Reason for Hive Loss | Possible Causes | Average % of Yearly Loss |
|---|---|---|
| colony collapse disorder |
| ~17–20% |
| pesticide usage |
| ~40% and up |
| harsh winters |
| ~30% |
Almond pollination gives honeybees their first food of the year and provides the protein and amino acids their diet requires. Honeybee hives need more than one type of food to remain healthy. A healthy ecosystem is dependent on the honeybee population. The table shows how honeybees affect the rest of the ecosystem they support.
| Honeybee Importance | |
| Function | Effect |
|---|---|
| food source | Bees produce honey for other organisms as well as being a food source for birds and spiders. |
| plant growth | Wild plants depend on pollination to create seeds. |
| biodiversity | Bees support the growth of other plants and flowers that are habitats and food sources for others. |
| wildlife habitats | Honeybees build elaborate hives for themselves, but also help build suitable ecosystems for sustaining other species. |
This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.
Which statement best explains the relationship between almond tree reproduction and honeybees?
This is a question with 4 parts, including a question with drop-down menus from which you must select an option to fill in the blank.
Select the phrases to describe the effects of pesticide usage on honeybees.
This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.
Which statement most likely explains the honeybee population increase from 2011 to 2014?
This is a drag and drop question that allows you to select text and place it in an appropriate answer space.
Select the events and drag them into the boxes to show how a decline in honeybees has an effect throughout the ecosystem.
This is a multiple choice question that allows you to select only one option.
Which statement describes how honeybees experiencing harsh winters impacts the almond orchard ecosystem?
This is a test question that allows you to enter extended text in your response.
Use reasoning to explain the effect on biodiversity in the ecosystem if a large decrease in the honeybee population occurred in the United States.