Spring time is nearly here! The flowers will be blooming soon and we have pollinators to thank for that! Pollinators are species of animals that move pollen from flower to flower. Bees, hummingbirds, butterflies, and even bats can all pollinate flowers. In North America bees are some of our most important pollinators. Although it may be surprising, most species of bees are solitary bees. These species of bees don’t live in a colony, don’t support a queen, and don’t even make honey! Solitary bees are usually not territorial and do not sting.
To help support native pollinators in your community consider building a Pollinator Hotel for your school. Pollinator Hotels can provide important shelter for solitary bees, which can boost local pollination and increase biodiversity. A Pollinator Hotel can be built out of almost anything from blocks of wood with holes drilled into it, to containers of sticks or bamboo. The most important aspect of a Pollinator Hotel is that it is full of different sized holes for the bees to nest in. Students could test how the size of the holes or the material used affects the occupancy rate!
Check out the Pollinator Hotel Ms Kate made with 2nd graders at The Benjamin Banneker Magnet School of Architecture and Engineering!
See below to download our instructor guide on how to build a Pollinator Hotel with your class!
If you build one we’d love to see it! Tag us on instagram @omnilearnstem
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