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CONTENT QUESTIONS
INTRODUCTION WHO AM I? WHERE DO I LIVE? WHAT DO I EAT? HOW DO I LOOK? HOW DO I REPRODUCE? FUN FACT ABOUT ME? WHERE DID YOU FIND INFORMATION ABOUT ME? Use the following to format your text - Normal, 12pt, color -1st box under the bright yellow. Titles are in caps and bold. Hello! Today we are going to learn about the Carpenter Bee. Did you know that this bee lives in the Southwest, regions around Tucson, AZ? They love desert flowers, they are about the size of a small pecan, and they are metallic blue-black, bare, and polished looking abdomen. The male bee has a yellow face and tan body and the female has a black face and body. They gather pollen grains from the male parts of blooms and delivers them to the female parts of other blooms of the same species. This triggers the process of fertilization and seed formation. The carpenter bee ranks as an important pollinator of the flowering plants, those with large open fragrant blooms. The Carpenter Bee contributes to the annual showcase of wildflowers in desert basins and mountain flanks. Now, you can read more about the Carpenter Bee, complete an activity, and see if you have learned enough about the Carpenter Bee to pass the quiz. Don’t waste anymore time. Go ahead and get started!!  WHO AM I? HI! Can you guess who I am? I love desert flowers, I can fly, and I have a lot of desert relatives. I also possess specialized structures for carrying pollen back to my nests…Do you know who I am? Yes! My name is Carpenter Bee. HOW DO I LOOK? Well... I’m about the size of a small pecan, metallic blue-black, bare with a polished abdomen. If I am a male; I will have a yellow face and tan body and if I am a female; I will have a black face and body. My family have many names, colors, We also have Dwarf Carpenter Bees, Bumblebees, Sweat Bees, Cuckoo Bees and Honeybees.  I live in the Southwest, regions around Arizona and California. My family come from a highly diverse group of hymenopterous insects in the Sonoran Desert region. My family ranks as an important pollinator of the flowering plants, like those with large open fragrant blooms. HOW DO I REPRODUCE? As Sonoran Desert Bees, we only have one generation per year and all of our adults emerge with the spring or summer wildflower blooms. Creatively we gather pollen grains from the male parts of blossoms and deliver them to the female parts of other blossoms (of the same species), this process triggers a fertilization and seed formation. Some of my family can reproduce two or even three generations per year. When we become adults, males and females mate right out of their natal cells.  Okay... Want to learn some cool facts about me?! The Carpenter Bee family are considered highly ranked pollinators of the flowering plants that have large open fragrant blooms. We are native bees in the business of pollinating agricultural plants of the desert. Sonoran Desert bees like me nest with other females in larger nest sites. Maybe you would like to research my cousin Cactus Bee and learn about which type of cactus pollinated. ACTIVITY Well, you have made it through the learning process. I hope you learned a lot about me! Now it is time to have some fun. You are going to create a comic book about me. Yes, I said a comic book. This is going to be fun and easy! You can even download software for 30 days for free. For some of you, you will need help from your parents or an older brother or sister. 1. You will need to write a story about the information you have learned. 2. You will need to find 10 pictures of me that relate to your story. 3. You will to download the software from http://downloads.plasq.com/CLW79/Comic_Life.msi. 4. If you need assistance, you can review the youtube.com video below. YOU CAN FIND MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ME BELOW. Desert USA This is a comprehensive resource about the North American deserts and Southwest Destinations. http://www.desertusa.com/mag07/mar07/bees.html The Desert Museum This is a world-renowned zoo, natural history museum, and botanical garden, all in one place. http://www.desertmuseum.org/books/nhsd_bees.php Learning, Discovery, Service in the College of Agriculture at The University of Kentucky. http://www.ca.uky.edu/entomology/entfacts/ef611.asp |