Introduction
We all know that honey is made by bees… but if we consume honey, does it actually help endangered bee species? Phil and Beth discuss this and teach you some new vocabulary.
This week’s question
How fast do honey bees flap their wings?
a) 90 times per second
b) 190 times per second
c) 290 times per second
Listen to the programme to hear the answer.
Vocabulary
vegan
person who does not consume or use animal products such as meat, eggs, milk, honey or leather
a question mark around/over (something)
used when there is doubt or uncertainty about something
clinging on
(idiom) continuing to survive or exist with great effort
isolated pockets
small areas of habitat in which a particular insect or animal can survive
take (something) for granted
fail to value or appreciate something which benefits you; not show you are grateful for something
oblivious
unaware; unmindful
TRANSCRIPT
Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.
Phil
Hello, this is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I’m Phil.
Beth
And I’m Beth. Do you like honey, Phil?
Phil
Hmm, I use it a lot in cooking, so yes.
Beth
Well, the relationship between humans, honey and the bees which make it goes back thousands of years. Prized for its taste and medicinal properties, in ancient times honey was known as ‘liquid gold’. But now, thanks to modern farming methods, populations of many insects, including bees, are in decline. Saoirse, a worried listener from London, called BBC World Service programme CrowdScience about the problem.
Saoirse
I’m Saoirse from the UK and my question is: can honey help save bees? I’ve been vegan for about nine years and I don’t eat honey myself, but I still have a question mark around it because I know that our bee populations are declining.
Phil
Saoirse is a vegan – someone who doesn’t eat anything which comes from animals. Not just meat, but things like milk, eggs and honey too.
Beth
Although Saoirse doesn’t eat honey herself, she says there’s a question mark around eating honey. The phrase a question mark around something means there’s doubt or uncertainty about something. And what Saoirse is uncertain about is whether eating honey might actually save bees.
Phil
So, would it be better for declining bee populations if more people ate honey? That’s what we’ll be discussing, using some useful new words and phrases. Plus, you’ll find all the vocabulary from this episode on our website, bbclearningenglish.com.
Beth
But bee-fore that I have a question for you, Phil. The buzzing sound bees are famous for is made by flapping their four wings incredibly fast, but how fast? Do honey bees flap their wings:
a) 90 times per second,
b) 190 times per second, or
c) 290 times per second?
Phil
Well, I have absolutely no idea, so I’m going to guess 190 times per second.
Beth
OK. Well, we’ll find out the answer later in the programme.
Phil
We’ve been talking about honey bees, but these are just one of the 20,000 species of bee which exist around the world. In fact, honey bees are one of the most widespread insects on the planet and not endangered at all.
Beth
But the picture isn’t so good for wild bees, including the bumble bee, as biologist Dave Goulson, from the University of Sussex, explained to BBC World Service programme CrowdScience:
Dave Goulson
In the UK, we have 26 bumblebee species but three have gone extinct. Many of the others are now clinging on in little isolated pockets of good habitat. Honey bees have beekeepers to look after them, but nobody’s looking out for the wild bees.
Phil
Three of the 26 species of British bumblebee have gone extinct, and Dave says other species are clinging on, meaning barely continuing to survive with great effort. This happens in isolated pockets – small areas of habitat in which a particular insect or animal can survive.
Beth
So, while honey bees may not be endangered, lots of other bee species are, and this is bad news because we rely on insects to pollinate crops and to keep ecosystems functioning.
Phil
That’s right, Beth. 87% of all plant species need insects for pollination, so without them most plants on Earth would disappear, which would obviously be catastrophic. But according to Dave Goulson, pollination is just one of the many things bees do for us, as he explained to BBC World Service’s CrowdScience:
Dave Goulson
That isn’t the only thing that insects are doing and there are much less glamorous, less well-known things, like recycling cow poo and helping to keep the soil healthy and helping to control crop pests and so on, all of which are also really important. And we, kind of, take them for granted or are just oblivious that they’re even happening.
Beth
Recycling cow poo and keeping the soil healthy are two important jobs bees do which we take for granted. If you take something for granted, you fail to value or appreciate something which benefits you. We humans are oblivious, meaning unaware or unmindful of the many things bees do to support life on Earth.
Phil
So, while eating more honey probably won’t do much to save wild bees, there are things you can do, such as growing bee-friendly plants which flower in spring, like lavender.
Beth
OK. Phil, I think it’s time to reveal the answer to my question. I asked you how many times bees flap their wings per second. You said 190, which was… the correct answer. Well done!
Phil
Ooh!
Beth
OK, let’s recap the vocabulary we’ve learnt, starting with vegan – someone who doesn’t consume any animal products.
Phil
If you say there’s a question mark around something, you mean there’s some doubt or uncertainty about it.
Beth
If an animal species is clinging on, it’s holding on to existence with great effort.
Phil
Isolated pockets refer to small areas of habitat in which a particular insect or animal can survive.
Beth
To take something for granted means to not appreciate or show gratitude for something which helps you.
Phil
And finally, the adjective oblivious means unaware. Once again, our six minutes are up, but if you’re keen for more then head over to our website, bbclearningenglish.com, and download the worksheet and try the quiz on this episode. Goodbye for now.
Beth
Goodbye!