Bees and pollination · seed 1 · A4, ink-friendly. The answer key prints on its own page for grown-ups.

Bees and pollination

Science · Insects & Minibeasts · ages 7-9
Name ______________________   Date ____________

  1. Many fruits and vegetables need bees or other insects to help them grow.

    Circle one:   True   False

  2. When a bee lands on a flower, what sticky yellow dust can get stuck to its body?

    • Pollen
    • Sugar
    • Sand

  3. How does pollen usually travel from one flower to another?

    • It jumps by itself
    • It rides on a visiting bee
    • It grows new each time

  4. Which of these foods needs bees, or similar insects, to be pollinated before it can grow?

    • Apples
    • Wheat bread
    • Table salt

  5. A bee visits a pumpkin flower, then flies straight to another pumpkin flower nearby. What most likely happens?

    • The bee leaves all its honey behind
    • The second flower loses its pollen
    • Some pollen from the first flower rubs onto the second flower

  6. One garden grew 8 pumpkins the year bees visited, and only 2 pumpkins the year bees stayed away. How many more pumpkins grew with bees?

    With bees8Withoutbees2

    Answer: ______________

  7. A farmer notices far fewer bees visiting his strawberry field this year. What should he expect at harvest time?

    • No change, because bees do not affect strawberries
    • More strawberries than usual
    • Fewer strawberries than usual, because less pollination happened

  8. Oliver says bees make new pollen every time they land on a different flower. What is wrong with this idea?

    • Bees never touch pollen at all
    • Bees do not make pollen; they carry pollen the flowers already made
    • Flowers cannot have pollen without bees
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Answer key

For grown-ups. Fold this page away before handing over the rest.

Bees and pollination W1-mt_SZJ1mN7Vfk-s1

  1. True · Plants like apples and pumpkins need pollinators to make fruit.
  2. Pollen · That fine yellow dust is pollen. It clings to the tiny hairs on a bee's body.
  3. It rides on a visiting bee · Pollen does not move on its own. It hitches a ride on a bee, or another insect, that visits the flower.
  4. Apples · Apples grow from flowers that need bees to pollinate them. Bread and salt do not come from bee-pollinated flowers.
  5. Some pollen from the first flower rubs onto the second flower · Pollen stuck to the bee's body rubs off onto the next flower it visits.
  6. 6 · 8 take away 2 leaves 6. Without bees, far fewer pumpkins grew.
  7. Fewer strawberries than usual, because less pollination happened · Strawberries need pollination to form fruit. Fewer bee visits usually mean fewer strawberries.
  8. Bees do not make pollen; they carry pollen the flowers already made · Flowers make their own pollen. Bees do not create it, they just carry it from flower to flower.
Worksheet · LightMySky