About 20,000 different types (species) of bees exist in the world – 1,600 in California. There are bumblebees, leaf-cutting bees, carpenter bees, sweat bees, digger bees, cuckoo bees and many more. Some live together in a nest or hive, but most are solitary, living by themselves! Many make their own home nests to lay eggs in from a hole they dig in the soil or a hole in wood. Sometimes, solitary bees take naps in flowers, but they don’t make honey. The only bees that make honey are honey bees, using nectar from flowering plants. It’s saved in honeycombs in the hive to eat when food is scarce. Bumblebees collect small amounts of nectar in little pots, but it’s not like the honey that honey bees make.
In this activity, coloring book pages of different types of bees are available for download that can be printed and colored in by participants. You can then submit a picture of your drawing via Instagram to be selected for creation of a poster with your drawing featured! If you want to learn more about bees, we will be presenting a short video of fun facts and then doing a live drawing of a native Californian bee. CLEAR member(s) and bee biologists will be on hand to answer any questions and encourage enthusiasm among participants by drawing together.
