Honey bees belong to the animal kingdom, just like us — but their “family tree” is different.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Hymenoptera
Family: Apidae
Genus: Apis
Species: mellifera (the western honey bee!)
Graphic (Print): Tree diagram branching down to “Honey Bee.”
App: Tap each level → see examples of other animals in that group.
Humans have worked with bees for thousands of years — first collecting wild honey, then keeping them in hives. Bees’ main jobs in nature are pollination and making food for their colony. For humans, they give us honey, wax, propolis, and more.
Graphic (Print): Timeline of beekeeping from ancient Egypt to modern hives.
App: Scrollable, with each time period lighting up and buzzing when tapped.
A honey bee’s body has three main parts: head, thorax, and abdomen. They have fuzzy bodies with golden-yellow and black stripes, two wings on each side, and two antennae.
Activity: “Spot the Honey Bee” — given photos of different insects, circle which ones are honey bees.
App: Drag-and-drop “bee” or “not a bee” labels.
Not every flying insect with a stinger is a honey bee. Wasps, hornets, and yellow jackets look similar but act very differently.
Chart: Side-by-side “Bee vs. Wasp vs. Hornet”:
Body Shape (fuzzy vs. smooth)
Behavior (gentle vs. aggressive)
Nest Type (wax comb vs. paper nest)
Graphic (Print): Friendly comparison table.
App: Tap each insect → pop-up fact & magnified view.
Pollinators are animals that move pollen from one flower to another, helping plants make seeds and fruit. Honey bees are superstar pollinators, but they share the job with butterflies, moths, birds, bats, and even the wind!
Buzz Fact: About 1 out of every 3 bites of food we eat depends on pollinators.
Graphic (Print): Illustration showing a variety of pollinators visiting flowers, with arrows showing pollen transfer.
App Version: Tap a pollinator to see it in motion — bee buzzing, butterfly flapping, hummingbird hovering.