Bees and Pollinators Trivia
Bees and Pollinators trivia highlights the insects, birds, and mammals that move pollen between flowers, making possible much of the fruit, seed, and plant life humans rely on. Long recognized in farming and natural history, pollinators remain essential to biodiversity, food production, and many of the landscapes we know today.
Easy Bees and Pollinators Trivia
13 questions
These easy Bees and Pollinators trivia questions are great for beginners and kids around age 12 and under.
Question 1
What sweet food do honey bees make from flower nectar?
Answer: Honey bees make honey from flower nectar.
Honey bees make honey from flower nectar.
Question 2
As bees move from flower to flower, what powdery substance do they carry between blooms?
Answer: Bees carry pollen between flowers as they forage.
Bees carry pollen between flowers while foraging.
Question 3
A bee colony is centered around what single important bee?
Answer: A bee colony is centered around a single queen bee.
The colony is centered around one queen bee .
Question 4
What are male honey bees called?
Answer: Male honey bees are called drones.
Male honey bees is drones.
Question 5
Bees collect what sugary food source from flowers?
Answer: Bees collect nectar as a sugary food source.
The provided fact says bees collect nectar is a sugary food source.
Question 6
Pollen helps flowering plants do what?
Answer: Pollen helps flowering plants reproduce.
Pollen helps flowering plants reproduce.
Question 7
Which well-known wild pollinators are the fuzzy favorites many people recognize?
Answer: Bumblebees are among the best-known wild pollinators.
Bumblebees is among the best-known wild pollinators.
Question 8
Besides bees, which colorful insects also act as pollinators?
Answer: Butterflies also act as pollinators.
Butterflies also act is pollinators.
Question 9
Many bee-pollinated flowers have what helpful feature for visiting bees to stand on?
Answer: Many bee-pollinated flowers have a landing platform for visiting bees.
The fact states that many bee-pollinated flowers have a landing platform.
Question 10
Honey is stored in what bee-built structure?
Answer: Honey is stored in wax comb built by bees.
Honey is stored in wax comb built by bees.
Question 11
Bees use what body parts to sense smells and touch?
Answer: Bees use their antennae to sense smells and touch.
Bees use their antennae for smells and touch.
Question 12
Pollination can help what develop after flowers are visited?
Answer: Pollination can help fruit develop after flowers are visited.
Pollination can help fruit develop after flowers are visited.
Question 13
How can honey bees defend the hive if they need to?
Answer: Honey bees can sting to defend the hive.
Honey bees can sting to defend the hive.
Bees and Pollinators Family Trivia
12 questions
These family Bees and Pollinators trivia questions are built for mixed-age game nights, classrooms, and groups.
Question 1
On what date is World Bee Day celebrated each year?
Answer: May 20
World Bee Day is observed each year on May 20.
Question 2
True or false: Pollinator Week began in 2007.?
Answer: True
Pollinator Week was created by the Pollinator Partnership in 2007.
Question 3
Which country played a leading role in promoting World Bee Day?
Answer: Slovenia
Slovenia played a leading role in promoting World Bee Day.
Question 4
What kind of bee is commonly kept by beekeepers around the world?
Answer: The western honey bee
The western honey bee is kept by beekeepers around the world.
Question 5
In what year did Lorenzo Langstroth patent a movable-frame beehive?
Answer: 1852
Lorenzo Langstroth patented a movable-frame beehive in 1852.
Question 6
Which hive type uses bars instead of full frames for bees to build comb on?
- A.Langstroth hive
- B.Glass hive
- C.Basket hive
- D.top-bar hive
Answer: Top-bar hive
A top-bar hive uses bars instead of full frames for comb building.
Question 7
Who decoded the honey bee waggle dance?
Answer: Karl von Frisch
Karl von Frisch decoded the honey bee waggle dance.
Question 8
Which city is known for rooftop beekeeping sites?
Answer: Paris
Paris has become known for rooftop beekeeping sites.
Question 9
MÄnuka honey is most strongly associated with which country?
Answer: New Zealand
MÄnuka honey is strongly associated with New Zealand.
Question 10
Every spring, managed honey bees are especially important in the almond orchards of which U.S. state?
Answer: California
California almond orchards depend heavily on managed honey bees each spring.
Question 11
Which flower is traditionally pollinated by hand in commercial production: vanilla, sunflower, or clover?
Answer: Vanilla
Vanilla flowers are traditionally hand-pollinated in commercial production.
Question 12
Bats help pollinate some plants used to make what drink ingredient?
Answer: Agave
Bats pollinate some agave plants used for tequila production.
Fun Bees and Pollinators Trivia
13 questions
These fun Bees and Pollinators trivia questions highlight surprising moments and playful facts for game-night groups.
Question 1
What dance move do honey bees use to point nestmates toward a good food source?
Answer: The waggle dance.
Honey bees communicate food locations with the waggle dance.
Question 2
Which crop gets a buzzing assist when bumblebees vibrate its flowers to release pollen?
- A.Cucumbers
- B.tomatoes
- C.Sunflowers
- D.Apples
Answer: Tomatoes.
Bumblebees can buzz-pollinate tomatoes by vibrating the flowers.
Question 3
Better with bumblebees than with honey bees: which fruit crop is often pollinated more effectively this way?
- A.Cherries
- B.blueberries
- C.Grapes
- D.Strawberries
Answer: Blueberries.
Blueberries are often better pollinated by bumblebees than by honey bees.
Question 4
Which specialist bees are famous for focusing on squash and pumpkin flowers?
Answer: Squash bees.
Some squash bees specialize in visiting squash and pumpkin flowers.
Question 5
Yucca plants have a tiny but essential pollination partner. What is it?
Answer: Yucca moths.
Yucca plants depend on yucca moths for pollination.
Question 6
What tiny insect pollinates fig trees?
Answer: Fig wasps.
Fig trees are pollinated by tiny fig wasps.
Question 7
Your candy bar owes a thank-you note to pollination of which plant product?
Answer: Chocolate, through pollination of cacao flowers.
Chocolate ultimately depends on pollination of cacao flowers.
Question 8
True or false: Coffee plants can produce more beans when pollinators visit their flowers.?
Answer: True
Coffee plants produce more beans when pollinators visit their flowers.
Question 9
For alfalfa seed production, bees must do what to the flowers?
Answer: Trip the flowers.
Alfalfa seed production relies on bees to trip the flowers.
Question 10
Some blossoms save their grand opening for after dark to attract which pollinators?
Answer: Moths.
Some flowers open at night to attract moth pollinators.
Question 11
In the desert, which giant cactus gets pollination help from both bats and birds?
Answer: The giant saguaro cactus.
The giant saguaro cactus is pollinated by bats and birds.
Question 12
Which kind of bee can pollinate passionfruit flowers?
Answer: Large carpenter bees.
Passionfruit flowers can be pollinated by large carpenter bees.
Question 13
Red clover is especially well served by which bees?
Answer: Long-tongued bumblebees.
Red clover is especially well served by long-tongued bumblebees.
Funny Bees and Pollinators Trivia
13 questions
These funny Bees and Pollinators trivia questions highlight playful moments, odd facts, and inside jokes.
Question 1
What year did Charles Butler publish the very buzzworthy book The Feminine Monarchie?
Answer: 1609
Charles Butler published The Feminine Monarchie in 1609.
Question 2
Which flower can turn a nectar stop into an awkward escape room by trapping bees inside?
- A.Sunflowers
- B.Tulips
- C.Daisies
- D.Snapdragon flowers
Answer: Snapdragon flowers
Bees can get trapped inside snapdragon flowers while reaching for nectar.
Question 3
Male orchid bees collect what from flowers and other sources, basically running the forest's strangest cologne mission?
Answer: Perfumes
Male orchid bees collect perfumes from flowers and other sources.
Question 4
Which leaves can end up looking like a tiny tailor attacked them with miniature scissors, thanks to leafcutter bees?
- A.Fern fronds
- B.rose leaves
- C.Oak leaves
- D.Maple leaves
Answer: Rose leaves
Leafcutter bees can leave rose leaves looking like they were cut with tiny scissors.
Question 5
Squash bees often clock in at what time of day because squash flowers open very early?
Answer: Before sunrise
Squash bees often start foraging before sunrise because squash flowers open very early.
Question 6
Some male bumblebees travel flower routes like tiny commuters who refuse to vary the schedule. What are they patrolling?
Answer: Patrol routes of flowers
Some male bumblebees patrol routes of flowers like repeat commuters.
Question 7
Which bees skip the pollen shopping and lay their eggs in other bees' nests instead?
- A.Drone bees
- B.Squash bees
- C.cuckoo bees
- D.Leafcutter bees
Answer: Cuckoo bees
Cuckoo bees lay their eggs in other bees' nests instead of gathering pollen for their own young.
Question 8
Who sometimes dresses up like a bee or wasp without having a sting to back it up?
Answer: Certain flies
Certain flies mimic bees and wasps even though they cannot sting.
Question 9
Carrion flowers attract pollinators by smelling like what deeply unpopular aroma?
- A.Pine resin
- B.rotting meat
- C.Fresh grass
- D.Citrus peel
Answer: Rotting meat
Carrion flowers attract pollinators by smelling like rotting meat.
Question 10
Which orchid turns pollination into slapstick by making male orchid bees slip into a fluid-filled chamber?
- A.The rose
- B.The squash flower
- C.bucket orchid
- D.The snapdragon
Answer: The bucket orchid
The bucket orchid makes male orchid bees slip into a fluid-filled chamber.
Question 11
When bees come home wearing bright yellow clumps like oversized cargo pants, where are those pollen loads often stuck?
Answer: On their legs
Some pollen-loaded bees return to the nest with bright yellow clumps on their legs.
Question 12
Honey bees may do what on the outside of a hive during hot weather, creating a living fuzzy curtain?
Answer: Beard
Honey bees sometimes beard on the outside of a hive during hot weather.
Question 13
Some bees ignore the floral front door and bite holes instead. What is this behavior called?
Answer: Nectar robbing
Nectar-robbing bees may bite holes in flowers instead of entering the usual way.
Hard Bees and Pollinators Trivia
14 questions
These hard Bees and Pollinators trivia questions are for expert fans who want a real challenge.
Question 1
In what year did Carl Linnaeus use the modern honey bee genus name Apis?
- A.1749
- B.1773
- C.1758
- D.1761
Answer: 1758
Linnaeus used the modern honey bee genus name Apis in 1758.
Question 2
Which tracheal mite is identified as attacking honey bees?
- A.Acarapis woodi
- B.Varroa destructor
- C.Nosema ceranae
- D.Paenibacillus larvae
Answer: Acarapis woodi
The listed tracheal mite that attacks honey bees is Acarapis woodi.
Question 3
American foulbrood is caused by which bacterium?
- A.Varroa destructor
- B.Paenibacillus larvae
- C.Nosema ceranae
- D.Acarapis woodi
Answer: Paenibacillus larvae
American foulbrood is caused by Paenibacillus larvae.
Question 4
Some beekeepers use what kind of treatment to manage Varroa mites?
- A.antibiotics
- B.acaricides
- C.fungicides
- D.nectar traps
Answer: acaricides
Acaricides are listed is being used by some beekeepers to manage Varroa mites.
Question 5
Who founded the International Bee Research Association in 1949?
- A.Eva Crane
- B.Marla Spivak
- C.May Berenbaum
- D.Heather Holm
Answer: Eva Crane
Eva Crane is identified is the founder of the International Bee Research Association in 1949.
Question 6
Marla Spivak received a MacArthur Fellowship for work on bee health in what year?
- A.2009
- B.2013
- C.2010
- D.2007
Answer: 2010
Marla Spivak won a MacArthur Fellowship in 2010.
Question 7
Which scientist chaired the National Academy of Sciences study on pollinators and pesticides released in 2007?
- A.Rachel Winfree
- B.Eva Crane
- C.Joan Strassmann
- D.May Berenbaum
Answer: May Berenbaum
The 2007 National Academy of Sciences study on pollinators and pesticides was chaired by May Berenbaum.
Question 8
What is the title of Thomas Seeleyās 2010 book?
- A.A Sting in the Tale
- B.Braiding Sweetgrass
- C.The Social Lives of Microbes
- D.Honeybee Democracy
Answer: Honeybee Democracy
Thomas Seeley wrote Honeybee Democracy in 2010.
Question 9
Dave Goulson wrote which 2013 book?
- A.Braiding Sweetgrass
- B.The Social Lives of Microbes
- C.A Sting in the Tale
- D.Honeybee Democracy
Answer: A Sting in the Tale
Dave Goulson wrote A Sting in the Tale in 2013.
Question 10
Which researcher is known for work on wild bee contributions to crop pollination?
- A.Eva Crane
- B.Rachel Winfree
- C.May Berenbaum
- D.Heather Holm
Answer: Rachel Winfree
Rachel Winfree is specifically noted for research on wild bee contributions to crop pollination.
Question 11
Who is known for books about native bees and flowering plants?
- A.Joan Strassmann
- B.Marla Spivak
- C.Heather Holm
- D.Robin Wall Kimmerer
Answer: Heather Holm
Heather Holm is known for books about native bees and flowering plants.
Question 12
Which book by Robin Wall Kimmerer discusses reciprocal relationships with plants and pollinators?
- A.The Social Lives of Microbes
- B.Braiding Sweetgrass
- C.A Sting in the Tale
- D.Honeybee Democracy
Answer: Braiding Sweetgrass
Robin Wall Kimmerer wrote Braiding Sweetgrass, which discusses reciprocal relationships with plants and pollinators.
Question 13
Whose study of the Madagascar star orchidās long nectar spur included predicting a matching pollinator?
- A.Karl von Frisch
- B.Gene Robinson
- C.Charles Darwin
- D.Gregor Mendel
Answer: Charles Darwin
Charles Darwin is the scientist named in connection with the Madagascar star orchid and the predicted matching pollinator.
Question 14
What U.S. conservation organization takes its name from the extinct Xerces blue butterfly?
Answer: Xerces Society
The Xerces Society is named after the extinct Xerces blue butterfly.
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