Bees: Newsround's guide to the winged wonders

Bees are extremely important creatures!

They help to provide a lot of the food that you eat - and we're not just talking about honey. Bees help to grow fruit and vegetables by flying around and pollinating plants.

Read on to find out more about bees and why it's important that we protect them.

What's the difference between types of bees?

There are lots of different species of bee. Click on the interactive below to find out more about them.

What difference do bees make?

Bees help to provide a lot of the food you eat by flying around and pollinating plants. You might eat these fruit and vegetables yourself, or they might be fed to other animals which are used to feed you.

Source: The British Beekeepers Association

Why are bees under threat?

Six facts about brilliant bees

Let's take a closer look at what makes bees such bee-rilliant creatures.

• Some bees might visit as many as 2,000 flowers every single day

• Honey bees can remember landmarks so they know where their hive is

• Bees flap their wings about 200 times every single second when they're flying

• Honey bees fly about 500 miles in their lives - that's like flying from Edinburgh to Paris!

• There are about 20,000 different species of bee in the world

• A worker bumble bee can carry pollen that weighs half as much as them!

What can you do to help?

Many people are working hard to protect bees. Find out more below.