Gina Pate Howard, age 12, of Louisville, Ky., for her question:

HOW DO BEES BUZZ?

Bees among the blossoms seem to be humming to themselves with happy contentment. Actually the busy buzzing sound is created by their wings. A bee has four gauzy wings, almost as clear as glass. The front pair are larger than the back pair. When she flies, the edges of a large and a small wing are locked together, so her four wings beat together as two wings.

They beat so fast that all you see is a fuzzy blur. And as they beat they stir up a tiny breeze that makes the soft buzz or humming sound. Compared with her fat furry body, the bee's wings seem frail and fragile. But they manage to carry her weight. This is because she beats them very fast  fast enough to fly at a speed of 12 miles per hour.