Bees are insects related to wasps and ants. They live all over the world except Antarctica. There are more than 20,000 species, or types, of bee. The best-known kinds are honeybees and bumblebees. People have kept honeybees for their honey for at least 4,000 years. Honeybees also produce beeswax, which people use to make candles.

Adult bees range in length from about 0.08 to 1.6 inches (0.2 to 4 centimeters). They usually have short, thick bodies covered with hair. Most bees are black, often with yellow or brown markings. Like all insects, bees have six legs. They have two pairs of wings and five eyes. They also have mouth parts that act like a long tongue. Female bees also have a stinger. Male bees cannot sting.

Bees get all their food from flowers. This food consists of a sweet liquid called nectar and a dustlike substance called pollen. Honeybees change nectar into honey, which they feed to their young. Bees also gather pollen to feed their young. As they go from flower to flower, they spill some pollen. In this way bees perform a very useful task. When pollen spreads from one flower to another of the same kind it allows the flowers to make seeds and therefore to make new flowers.

Pollination is necessary for the growth of many different fruits and vegetables. Most farmers bring in large groups of bees for pollination. These bees are moved from farm to farm, all over the country, to pollinate crops.

Most kinds of bee live in small families. But some bees work and live together in large, organized groups called colonies. These social bees include honeybees and some bumblebees. They are divided into classes. Most of the females are workers in the colony. They gather pollen, build the nest, and take care of all the young. Each nest has one queen. Her eggs develop into females. The workers’ eggs develop into males. Male bees, called drones, help the queen reproduce.

Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is a serious issue affecting certain honeybee colonies. It occurs when a honeybee colony dies because not enough healthy adult honeybees are inside the hive. This happens when adult honeybees lose their ability to navigate, or find their way. The bees leave the hive to find pollen and never return. CCD is a very serious problem. In the United States more than 90 crops, including many fruits and vegetables, depend on bees for pollination.

The cause of CCD is unknown, but researchers suspect that many factors are involved. Scientists are researching four categories for the possible causes of CCD: (1) pathogens (or germs), (2) parasites, (3) stresses on the bees caused by beekeepers (transporting honeybees to many different locations or overcrowding the hive), and (4) environmental stresses, including exposure to pesticides. It is likely that CCD is caused by a combination of these factors.

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