We are always trying to make our incursions better and more even exciting. Hot off the press is this new model showing a carpenter bee nest. It joins our collection of cool preserved invertebrates, a super size bee model and other interesting bee bits.
The female carpenter bee excavates a tunnel in dead timber, then collects nectar and pollen which she mixes with saliva to make a pollen ball. She places this in the cavity and lays an egg, then creates a wall to seal the young inside. She repeats the process about 8-10 times taking almost 2 days for each one. When she finishes she dies.
The young larvae hatch from the egg and gobble the food. When they have reached size they metamorphose into a bee. During winter they remain in the nest and eventually emerge in summer. This model had its debut just last week at Chifley PS and was a hit with kids wanting to know if it was real and if bees really looked like that with teachers adding this about The Super Pollinators incursion –
“It provided a great experience for students to develop awareness of bees and develop team work skills”
“The Super Pollinators Incursion was interesting and well presented. Students were engaged and asked interesting questions which arose from the presentation”
“It was a wonderful experience for our students. They have a greater awareness of native bees”
Our next addition will allow students to see colour like a bee and the amazing ‘landing strips’ that flowers use to direct bees to their nectar source. We look forward to unveiling this at Plan Bee: workshops at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney on January 25, 27 and 28 2018.
Also next year we will launch another stimulating incursion program. Abbie Mitchell has been busily writing a book for the CSIRO and we look forward to revealing the topic of the book and the new incursion mid next year! This will include loads of cool resources and aims to provide another engaging avenue to support your teaching. Stay tuned.
