SCIENCE

Before reading:

1)      A honeybee may visit several hundred flowers on a single trip. Why would that make a honeybee more vulnerable to the negative effects of pesticides?

2)      Brainstorm a list of foods you eat that rely on pollination.

During reading:

1)      What do the letters CCD stand for? What is CCD’s effect on bees?

2)      What proportion of commercial honeybee colonies can be lost to CCD each year?

3)      List at least three suspects behind CCD.

4)      How does climate change threaten honeybees?

5)      What are neonicotinoids?

6)      Explain what Christopher Connolly discovered about the effect of neonicotinoids on the honeybee brain.

7)      How does diesel exhaust affect the floral scents that lure honeybees?

8)      In what way do honeybees play a role in the production of meat and dairy products?

9)      Name some pollinators other than honeybees.

10)  Where do the honeybees used to pollinate crops in North America originally come from?

After reading:

1)      How could New Jersey’s policy be adapted for other agricultural states to support their native pollinators?

2)      Think about what you have learned about honeybees. Would you expect honeybees to be more or less vulnerable than other insects not only to pesticides, but also to infections and pollution? Explain your answer.

SOCIAL STUDIES

1)      If you were a farmer, what could you do to ensure more native pollinators visited your crops?

2)      List some additions you could make to the open space at your home or school that would make it a more attractive habitat for native pollinators.