Forage (honey bee)

Imagine a bee's favorite store is a giant field of flowers! Bees need two main things from these flowers: nectar and pollen. Nectar is like sugary juice that gives bees energy to fly, kind of like how juice gives you energy to run on the playground.

Pollen is like tiny colorful dust that has protein, which is super important for baby bees, called larvae, to grow big and strong. Without these flower treats, the bees wouldn't have the food they need to live and work.

Bees are amazing flyers, but they don't fly forever! Usually, a bee will fly about 2 miles from its home, which is like walking to the end of your neighborhood and back. But sometimes, they can fly even farther, up to 6 miles!

Flying too far makes them tired and wears out their wings, so they try to find the best flower snacks close to home. It's like when you want your favorite snack, you don't want to walk miles to get it!

Bees love a sunny day for their food adventures! They don't like it too cold. If it's colder than a warm spring day (around 55°F or 13°C), they might stay home. To really get busy and fly around a lot, they need it to be warmer, like a nice summer day (around 66°F or 19°C). So, when you see bees buzzing around, you know it's a good day for them to be out collecting their tasty flower food!

Did you know bees can tell each other where to find food? They do a special 'waggle dance' to show their sisters the direction and how far away the yummy flowers are! Sometimes, bees also collect something called honeydew from certain trees, which is another sweet treat. All these food sources help the whole bee family, especially the queen bee who lays all the eggs to keep the hive going!