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World Bee Day 🐝 20 May & National Learn About Butterflies Day 🦋 14 March





Some idioms (well known sayings)


An outstanding person or thing = The bees KNEES

Extremely busy and active person, doing many things quickly = Busy as a BEE

Overly bothered by something and focused on it = Have a bee in your BONNET

Possibly the most important person in a place = Queen BEE

A place or situation where everybody is busy = A hive of ACTIVITY

Teaching the basic facts about reproduction = The birds and the BEES

None of your business = None of your beesWAX


To feel nervous, anxious or excited = To have butterflies in your STOMACH

A small change can give rise to a big tidal wave = The butterfly EFFECT

A person who is sociable and flits about from person to person at a party = Social BUTTERFLY

"Float like a BUTTERFLY, sting like a BEE" - Muhammad Ali





What is this process called?


Metamorphosis





How long do adult butterflies live for?


One to two weeks




True or False? Butterflies used to be called Flutterbys


False, it was a children's saying





Can you identify these butterflies?


Common blue

Peacock

Red Admiral

Painted Lady

Monarch

Brimstone

Cabbage White

Speckled Wood

Swallowtail




Question. Are moths nocturnal butterflies, i.e. are they the same species?


Well sort of, but there are some day flying moths. Also a butterfly's antennae are club-shaped with a long shaft and a bulb at the end. A moth's antennae are feathery or saw-edged.




What is a person who studies or collects butterflies and moths called?


A Lepidopterist




Opinion. What do you think of the new King Charles portrait by Jonathan Yeo?

Noting the Monarch butterfly on his shoulder.








Music appreciation ...



This next song later inspired the solo 'Bring Him Home' in which stage musical?


See how close they are ...







Which actress starred in the TV sitcom 'Butterflies'?

Wendy Craig




Optical illusion - There are nine animals in this picture


There's a horse, a rooster, a crab, a praying mantis, a wolf, a dog, a butterfly, an eagle and a dog.





What do bees do for us? Make a list ...


Aside from honey & beeswax, bees pollinate most of our food crops. Without them we would be lost, hence there being such effort to reduce harmful toxins in the environment and to preserve weeds, wildflowers and hedgerows.



What is the proper name for a beekeeper?

Why do they use smoke?


An apiarist

To calm the bees (it blocks an alarm pheremone that bees use to communicate the need for defensive attack)




What shape do you see in a honeycomb?

How many bees are needed to make a jar of honey (nearest guess)?


Hexagonal

One bee makes 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey. It takes 1,152 to make a jar




True or False? If a bee stings you they will die? What about a wasp?


True. If a bee stings you it rips it's entire digestive tract out.

Wasps can sting you without them being harmed.




How long do bees live?


Queens (one per hive) live between one and two years; workers live about six weeks




True or False? Honey found in Tutankhamun's tomb was still edible after more than 3,000 years.


True. Honey is so high in sugar content that bacteria can't grow in it. Even if it crystallises it is still edible.


Factoid. Lord Carnarvon funded the dig and Howard Carter was the archeologist. The TV series 'Downton Abbey' was filmed at lord Carnarvon's pile, 'Highclere Castle' and you will find a Tutankhamun exhibit there.




News story. Ashley Class, from North Carolina, said her daughter, three, kept telling her there were "monsters" in her bedroom - little did she know a bee colony of 50,000 bees had been growing right next to her behind the wall for eight months.




Reminiscence - Does anyone remember Kit Williams' quiz books. He was an accomplished marquetry maker and jeweller. For the 'Bee' book you had to guess the title to win a golden queen bee in her box. The answer was "The Bee On The Comb".

For 'Masquerade', the prize was an intricate hare jewel.






Which TV quiz show, hosted by Bob Holness, featured a honeycomb quiz board? ("I'll have a 'P' please Bob.")


'Blockbusters'




Can anyone remember the advertising slogan? "Made from triangular ..."





Finally here are some relatable songs ...





And then of course there are the 'Bee Gees' ...



Maurice, Barry & Robin Gobb (Maurice and Robin were twins)


Here are some of their UK hits ... (complete the song titles)


  • 'MassaCHUSSETTS'

  • 'Jive TALKIN'

  • 'How Deep Is Your LOVE'

  • 'Staying ALIVE'

  • 'Night FEVER'

  • 'Too Much HEAVEN'

  • 'TRAGEDY' ('Steps' later had a hit with this song)

  • & a Barry Gibb and Barbra Streisand song 'GUILTY'


Here is your Spotify playlist ...







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