In this post: Learn about the fascinating world of ‘las abejas’ (bees) and their very important role on our planet. Plus learn Spanish vocabulary about bee hives!
A popular preschool and early elementary theme to teach is bees! Arguably one of the most fascinating insects, they make a great topic for curious little minds!
Bees play a very important role on our planet and there is so much to learn about them! From their busy hives, to how they work together to collect nectar from flowers and make delicious ‘miel’ (honey).
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At Llamitas Spanish® we teach kids Spanish through fun and engaging thematic and cross-curricula units.
In level 1, children learn about the farm in unit 2, which includes a short story about ‘La abeja obrera’ (the worker bee). Students will develop comprehension skills by sequencing the events of the story.
They will also make a sweet treat by following instructions to make a ‘paleta de plátano con miel’ (a banana honey lollipop!)
Related post: Las mariposas: Easy Bilingual Butterfly Crafts
Table of Contents
Spanish Vocabulary about Bees
Here are some useful keywords about bees in Spanish:
- Abeja (ah-beh-hah) Bee
- Colmena (kohl-meh-nah) Hive
- Néctar (nehk-tahr) Nectar
- Flor (flohr) Flower
- Reina (rrey-nah) Queen
- Zángano (sahng-gah-noh) Drone bee
- Obrera (oh-breh-rah) Worker bee
- Cría (kree-ah) Larva
- Miel (myehl) Honey
- Cera (seh-rah) Beeswax
The Life of Bees
A bee starts out as a tiny egg. This egg then turns into larvae. The larvae grows and changes and eventually it crawls out as a bee!
Later, ‘abejas obreras’ (worker bees) take care of them until they transform into adult bees and clean out the cells~ the hexagon shapes in a hive.
‘Las abejas obreras’ are very diligent and fly from flower to flower collecting nectar with their ‘patitas’ (little feet). This nectar later becomes honey, a delicious and sweet reward!
Zánganos (drone bees) are male and they fly off to find other queen bees.
Each bee has its special job, and they all work hard to keep the hive strong and healthy!
Why do we Need Bees?
Bees do something very important called pollination.
Whenever you see a bee flying from flower to flower, they are probably looking for nectar! They also carry pollen from one flower to another which helps plants grow and produce fruits and vegetables.
Pollen is a dusty powder that can often make people sneeze! Plants need pollen to make their seeds and grow new plants.
Thanks to bees, we can enjoy delicious foods like apples, strawberries, and carrots!
Related post: Fruit and Vegetables in Spanish
¿Sabías que? Fun Facts about Abejas
Did you know…
- Bees can fly very fast, up to 24 kilometers per hour!
- Bees have five eyes! Two big ones on the sides and three tiny ones on top of their heads.
- Bees communicate by dancing! They do special dances to tell other bees where to find the best flowers.
- One bee makes only an eighth of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime!
- Bees are excellent mathematicians! They can calculate the best and shortest route to a flower patch, even if it’s far away.
Who’s Who in a Beehive?
A hive has one ‘reina’ queen bee who is ‘la más grande’ ~ the biggest! There are thousands of female worker bees called ‘obreras’ and many male drone bees called ‘zánganos’.
Interestingly, worker bees are all girls! They do the hard work in the hive, while the guys (drones) are just there to mate with the queen.
Spanish Books at Bees
Some of our favorite books about ‘las abejas’ are:
National Geographic Readers: Las Abejas
National Geographic Readers: Las Abejas (L2) (Spanish Edition)
- Marsh, Laura (Author)
- Spanish (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 04/02/2020 (Publication Date) – National Geographic Kids (Publisher)
The best non-fiction reader for the topic!
La abeja de más (Spanish Edition)
- Andrés Pi Andreu (Author)
- Spanish (Publication Language)
- 32 Pages – 05/01/2016 (Publication Date) – Santillana USA (Publisher)
A beehive is getting overcrowded and the residents discover that there’s one bee too many. How will they resolve it?
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Kaia y las abejas (Spanish Edition)
- Hardcover Book
- Boelts, Maribeth (Author)
- Spanish (Publication Language)
- 40 Pages – 03/10/2020 (Publication Date) – Candlewick (Publisher)
In this sweet story, a girl tries to overcome her fear of bees to see how amazing they are.
FREE Bilingual Bee Craft
Ready to get crafty? We have a FREE bee themed craft for your little ones in the Freebie Library.
Develop fine motor skills with this fun beehive craft! You’ll also find plenty more crafts, songs, and activities in the Spanish Freebie Library!
Spanish Homeschool Curriculum
If you want to learn more about insects, farm animals, ocean life, pets, and many more fun topics, be sure to visit the Llamitas Spanish® curriculum shop.
Our academic curriculum provides students with a solid foundation in Spanish phonics and literacy through beautiful open and go lessons. Math, music, art, stories and so much more are weaved into the thematic curriculum!
Founder of the Llamitas Spanish® Curriculum and former Spanish teacher. Corrie holds two Master Degrees in Spanish and Education. She lives in San Diego, California with her husband and two bilingual children.