Is there a future without bees?

Question 1

pollination

Answer 1

process in which pollen is taken from one plant or part of a plant to another so that new plant seeds can be produced.

I’ve been as busy as a bee this week!
Oh, don’t you sound like the bee’s knees!
All right, there’s no need to get a bee in your bonnet!

Bees are vital in pollinating hundreds of crops, from apples and blackberries to cucumbers. In fact, almost all plants need insects to reproduce- of the world’s top 50 crops, how many rely on insect pollination?
What is pollination? All flowering plants need it to reproduce. Pollen is moved from the male part of a flower to the female part of a flower, then fertilisation can happen causing fruit to grow.

Question 2

fertilisation

Answer 2

plant reproduction in which pollen from one plant travels to the ovary of another and fertilises a female ovule to make new seeds and fruit.

What is pollination? All flowering plants need it to reproduce. Pollen is moved from the male part of a flower to the female part of a flower, then fertilisation can happen causing fruit to grow. Some staple crops such as wheat, rice and corn are pollinated by the wind …

Only after pollination can the next process occur – fertilisation -

Question 3

staple crops

Answer 3

food, like rice or wheat, which is eaten in large amounts as part of a community’s daily diet and provides a large fraction of their energy and nutrient needs.

What is pollination? All flowering plants need it to reproduce. Pollen is moved from the male part of a flower to the female part of a flower, then fertilisation can happen causing fruit to grow. Some staple crops such as wheat, rice and corn are pollinated by the wind…

Fertilisation occurs in all flowering plants, some of which like wheat, potatoes and rice are staple crops.

Question 4

orchard

Answer 4

area of land on which fruit trees are grown.

Fertilisation occurs in all flowering plants, some of which like wheat, potatoes and rice are staple crops …

How come our food security is so much dependent on an insect that we cannot really control? We can bring the bees to the orchard or to a field but we cannot control their behaviour.
So Keren’s company has developed drones to drop pollen on her orchard …

Question 5

hive

Answer 5

structure where bees live, either built by people or made by the bees themselves.

How come our food security is so much dependent on an insect that we cannot really control? We can bring the bees to the orchard or to a field but we cannot control their behaviour. They do not come out of the hive when it’s raining or when there’s heavy wind, they work only during daytime. There must be a possibility of developing a mechanical solution to the pollination challenge.

Question 6

food security

Answer 6

everyone having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food that meets their dietary needs.

How come our food security is so much dependent on an insect that we cannot really control? We can bring the bees to the orchard or to a field but we cannot control their behaviour. They do not come out of the hive when it’s raining or when there’s heavy wind, they work only during daytime. There must be a possibility of developing a mechanical solution to the pollination challenge.