Colony Collapse Disorder

WALT

We are learning to write an information report.

 Success Criteria:

 We will plan and then write an information report on a topic
of our choice related to bees.

Our report will:

• Be interesting!
• Give information about a topic of our choice related to bees.
• Show a clear link to our planning.
• Start with an opening statement about our topic.
• Have at least 3 paragraphs.  Each paragraph will have an opening
• statement and a series of facts related to that statement.Include
• some complex or compound sentence structures.
• Include at least one diagram, photograph, illustration or
• map to go with the text.
• Finish with a general statement about the topic.
• Use information from at least 3 different sources.  This
• information will be written in our own words and we will
• write down our sources at the end of our report.

What Is Colony Collapse Disorder?

What is colony collapse disorder?
Colony collapse disorder (CCD)
is when a colony of worker bees
leave the hive leaving behind
plenty of food and few nurse bees
to look after the queen bee and the
immature bees. Often if a bee gets
colony collapse disorder they will
fly away and never return so after
about a day they eventually die. 

In six years leading to 2013 over 10 million colonies were lost
often to CCD. The lifespan of a healthy worker bee that is going
well is 4-6 weeks. But if a worker bee gets colony collapse disorder
then it could be a lot shorter lifespan. In the foraging season alone,
about 800-1200 bees die per day.

Some possible causes of CCD are Varroa mites because they are
the world’s most destructive honey bee killer and the viruses they
carry have the chemical treatment that is considered a cause of
CCD. Nutrition is also one because malnutrition stresses bees out
and that weakens their immune systems and it would make it easier
for them to get CCD. Undiscovered disease is considered a possible
cause. 

Colony Collapse Disorder affects
humans because it threatens our
food supply. Bees pollinate 70% of
our food and pollinate 90% of our
wild plants. Crops like cherries and
blueberries are 90% dependent on
honey bee pollination. As the
number of bees are dying, the
number of food crops is decreasing.
That means there would be less
fruits, vegetables and less honey for us.

My source’s were Wikipedia, IFAS Extension and Quora.

Tui

What is it? What does it look like? Where does it live?

Tūī are native birds to New Zealand. Tūī are easily recognised by their white throat
feathers. They also have brown, and greenish black feathers. They have a curved beak
for eating nectar. Tūī live all over New Zealand, they are found in forests, orchards and
gardens. The Tūī is from the Meliphagidae bird family.

What does it eat?

Tūī eat nectar, fruits, insects and will fly a long distance even in winter to eat their favourite foods like native trees. Some native trees they like are Kōwhai, Puriri, Rewarewa, Kahikatea, Pohutukawa, Rātā and Harakeke.

Reproduction - Who looks after the young?

Tūī make a thick and strong nest using sticks, dry leaves and grasses in the trees.
The female Tūī lays two or three eggs in between September and January. The female
incubates her eggs for 14 days and by then they are hatched. Both of the parents feed
their chicks. The age Tūī  start to breed is normally 2 years old.

Threats - what are their natural threats?

Tūī are known to defend themselves but they can’t defend themselves from some
pests.  Their predators are paihamu (possums) because they eat their eggs, kiore (rats),
toriura (stoats) and tori hura (ferrets) because they eat them, ngeru (feral cats) because
they eat them and eat their eggs, humans are also threats  because we are littering and
they are eating the plastic.

My Marine Mammal Information Report

We have learning how to write an information report. Here is my report on a New Zealand Marine Mammal.