SLJ

One of the most important, but least talked about, animals in New Zealand is the bumblebee.
It was first introduced to New Zealand in 1885 to help pollinate a special plant called the ‘Red
Clover.’ Today, bumblebees do many other important jobs, including the pollination of
greenhouses and orchard crops. If the bees did not pollinate the plants, they would not survive.

For this activity, we would like you to bee-come detectives and to learn more about the
mysterious, and often ignored, bumblebee. We will provide you with five sentences about
bumblebees from the NZ Bumblebee Conservation Trust website and it is your job to fill in the
blanks with the missing information about bees. Choose the phrase/word that makes the most
sense from the list at the bottom. (Each phrase/word can only be used once).

To earn full points for this activity you must type all five sentences and then fill in the blanks
for
each one. Post the completed sentences on your blog.

Unbee-lievable Facts about Bumblebees

• The word ‘bumblebee’ is a compound word (bumble + bee). The word ‘bumble’ means to
• hum, buzz, or drone.
• Bumblebees can fly very quickly. They can reach ground speeds of _54__ kilometres per
• hour (km/h).
• Bumblebees are very strong! They carry up to _50___ percent of their body weight in food
• with them to avoid starvation.
• Bumblebees can do more work and carry more pollen than other bees, including honey
• bees
• . In fact, they can do up to   ___90___ times as much work as a normal honeybee.
• The number of bumblebees is declining in New Zealand due to a number of factors,
• including the removal of wildflowers and flowering trees, habitat loss and extensive use
• of pesticides.

Phrase/Words/Numbers

...50                 ...90 ...removal of wildflowers and flowering trees, habitat loss, and
extensive use of pesticides.      ...hum, buzz, or drone ...54