>> welcome to "teen kids news." i'm siena. we'll start with our top story. in recent years, bees have been disappearing from their hives. just why, we're not exactly sure. but what we do know is that it's a serious problem. scott tells us more. >> people, when they think about bees in general, they think "insect" or, "it's a bug that stings me, so, you know, why do i care if it goes extinct?" >> but as zeke freeman explains, we need to care.

zeke knows a lot about bees. his company, "bee raw honey", works with beekeepers all across the country. >> but, you know, the reality is, is that bees pollinate over 100 different fruits and vegetables. we're talking about strawberries, broccoli, apples, melons, pumpkins -- i mean, really basic fruits and vegetables that we eat every day. >> that's why what's happening in the bee world is causing alarm in the human world. bees are dying in droves and disappearing from hives. it's called "colony collapse disorder", or ccd. >> colony collapse disorder has affected over 10 million hives -- in fact, killed 10 million hives over the past six years. >> no one knows why this is happening. there are many theories. it could be a virus, or tiny insects called mites that attack the bees, or the problem may be man-made. >> we have pesticides that are put on everything, you know, from fruits and vegetables,

beans, corn, soy, and bees fly around and they collect pollen and nectar from these plants, and, you know, those pesticides, you know, either kill them or significantly lower the immune system of the bees, so they get sick easier. >> while research continues, people are working to protect bees. liane newton helped start the national honeybee conservancy. >> our goals are to raise awareness about bees, educate, and make it possible for many people to get involved in this activity, which has so many interesting aspects to it. >> beekeeping isn't limited to farms and rural areas. many cities like manhattan are home to thriving hives, and teens like jaxon help tend them. of course, it takes a whole lot of protective gear. [ western-style showdown music ]

when he was younger, jaxon was terrified of bees. perhaps that's why his dad suggested they give beekeeping a try. >> i thought he was insane because it freaked me out. but it started to fascinate me, and once i knew that you're completely protected, it's just, it's amazing to be around that many bees and having them flying around your head and know that you're protected. it's a really cool experience, and, just, it's fascinating. >> jaxon visits the hives on a regular basis, making sure the bees have the water they need. before opening the hive, he prepares a smoke pot. >> it doesn't harm the bees, but they don't like it, so they will disperse if they're in a large clump, which makes them much easier to deal with. >> jaxon carefully takes out the frames. he checks each one to make sure everything is okay. if there's a healthy queen and

the bees are keeping busy, there's plenty of evidence. [ bees buzzing ] >> this, the orangey, maple-looking blobs in the honeycomb, that's pollen that they have brought into the hive, and the almost-watercolored substance around these bees here is honey that hasn't been capped yet, which they're still working on, and this is all capped honey, which they finished working on, and that's just storage for them. this is all capped brood, and it's bees being formed, and the bees will crawl out of there when they're ready to be born. >> when "teen kids news" continues, we'll tell you how you can help "bee-friend" the bees. we'll be right back.

>> as we've reported, when it

come to pollinating fruits and vegetables, bees are the "a"-team. without them, we'd have a lot fewer foods to eat. bees also give us honey, which many say can be a healthier alternative to processed sugar. >> we have to remember that it's still a sugar, so we don't want to go crazy with it. >> since honey is sweeter than sugar, you can use less of it. and if you think all honey tastes the same, you're in for a surprise. zeke explains that honey can be varietal. that means there's different varieties depending on where the bees gather the nectar. >> single-varietal honeys are honeys that come from a specific floral source, whether it be wild raspberries or wild blueberries, buckwheat, wild sage, orange blossoms. and honey from that floral source gives it a particular color, a particular texture, and a very particular flavor. so you have a honey from new york from an aster flower, and you'll see that it's very clear and amber-colored. and so this is buckwheat honey. it comes from washington state. and you'll find it has a much more grainy consistency as it

crystallizes and more of a molasses... more of a molasses flavor. and then lastly, we have a colorado star thistle, and, again, this one you'll find is very buttery-smooth as it crystallizes, and even has kind of flavors of nutmeg and cardamom, and a very smooth, buttery texture. so those are three different varieties of what we call single-varietal honeys. >> so, what can we do to help save the bees? >> there are numerous things that consumers and you and me can do about it. one is, buy organic produce, because the more organic produce that is produced, the less fungicides and the less pesticides are out there to harm our bees. >> another idea is to plant a bee-friendly garden. >> something that has a lot of flowers that bloom from spring until fall. obviously, don't use pesticides in your own garden, or fungicides. you can also, you know, buy local honey. buying local honey helps your local beekeepers.

>> or maybe you might want to try your hand at becoming a beekeeper. >> it's a great hobby. you will be the coolest person on your block, and you'll be helping to save the honeybees, and you'll be learning something that will be of -- enrich your life forever. a great way to find out more is to go to thehoneybeeconservancy.org website, where you can see lots of information. for kids, we recommend that you visit our kids page. >> the message is pretty clear. if we don't take steps now to combat colony collapse disorder, one day, we may be without bees. >> three teenage girls have invented a generator that runs on a fuel that's as unusual as it is common -- urine! the machine breaks down urine into hydrogen, nitrogen, and water. the hydrogen gets turned into a gas which then powers the generator. one liter can give you up to six hours of electricity! >> if you have trouble getting

up in the morning, blame biology. not the class, but your body-clock. i'll explain.

>> when your alarm clock rings in the morning, do you find it hard to wake up? as isabel reports, you're not alone. >> i'm really, really tired... [ chuckles ] ...when the alarm rings. >> like, i want to turn it back off and go back to bed. >> i'm usually tired when i'm in school. >> i just want to go back to bed. >> i'm really tired in the morning. >> it's a familiar feeling, and it might not actually be your fault. >> and our adolescents are asked to literally wake up and go to school and be there at a time when their brain should physiologically be asleep. >> it has to do with the hormone melatonin. teens and adults don't have the same amounts of melatonin, so teens are chemically programmed to stay up later than adults and wake up later, as well. as a result, dr. meltzer says, teens are out of sync by as much as two hours with the adult

world, and getting up early for school only makes things worse. >> that they need nine hours of sleep, and they're only getting, on average, about seven hours of sleep. by the end of a school week, they're 10 hours of sleep behind. i mean, it's more than a full night of sleep behind. [ alarm ringing ] >> and it's often hard for teens to catch up on the lost sleep. >> i would wake up in the morning and want to go right back to sleep every time. >> while many teens can function on a little sleep, caelin had an additional problem. even though he felt constantly exhausted, he still had trouble falling asleep at night. he finally got help at a sleep center. while we may not be able to change our biology, there are some sleep tips. for example, turn off the electronics well before turning in for the night. >> you can do without your cellphone for an hour. and go to bed on time consistently, like, anywhere within 10 minutes of a set time,

and you should be good. >> researchers admit that life would be easier for teens if the school day started later. in fact, they found something interesting with kids who are home-schooled. since they don't have to wake up at a specific time each day, they tend to get more sleep than the rest of us, who get up early for school. >> ever take a close look at your state flag? you should, because you might be surprised at how much you can learn from it. here's brandon with this week's lesson. >> in 1629, the king of england gave lord calvert the right to form a colony in the new world. calvert called it "terra" means "land", and maria was the name of the king's wife. "terra maria" means "mary's land." maryland. calvert designed a flag with two symbols -- his own coat of arms and the coat of arms of his

mother's family, called the crosslands. the civil war divided maryland's residents over which side to support -- the north or the south. the coats of arms became symbols of that division. >> the calvert part of the flag, the yellow and black -- that was an image that was used to represent those marylanders who were siding with the north. the crosslands side, with the red and white, was used by those southerners who agreed with the rights of the confederate. >> throughout the war, the symbols were displayed separately. >> and it wasn't until after the civil war, when maryland soldiers were marching for the spanish-american war, that marylanders felt like there was unity again, like, they had healed the wounds of the civil war, and it was, in part, seeing the image of their flag with those colors all together again that helped to bring those people back together. >> the reunified flag was officially adopted by maryland in 1904. it's remained unchanged ever

since. with "flag facts", i'm brandon. >> what does antarctica's ice cap have in common with james bond's favorite nightcap? i'll tell you in a moment. as the earth's most southern continent, antarctica is almost completely covered in ice that's a mile thick. scientists have learned that when there's a big earthquake elsewhere in the world, it can cause the antarctic ice to vibrate. i guess you can say that the south pole, like 007's famous martini, is shaken... [ as james bond ] not stirred. >> in "speak of the week," we'll find out that teens are pretty generous. ♪you fill up my senses ♪like a night in a forest

♪like the mountains in springtime♪ ♪like a sleepy blue ocean ♪you fill up my senses ♪come fill me again ♪come let me love you ♪let me always be with you ♪come let me love you ♪come love me again

>> want to guess which country has the most movie lovers? if you said the united states, you're wrong. actually we're ranked second place. people in india buy more than three times the number of movie tickets we do. that's not surprising. after all, india's population is almost four times larger than ours. but remember, we're the country that invented popcorn. >> this report is brought to you by yahoo digital crave. >> hey, everyone.crave. tech this out. the latest in games and gadgets and apps just in time for the summer. let's start off with the big guns -- the sony 4k tv. take a look at this gorgeous 55-inch ultra high definition tv with 4 times the quality of hd. it'll not only take your existing hd content and up-convert it to 4k, but

there's also a lot more 4k content now, like from netflix and youtube and video unlimited. starts at $2,099 for this monster tv and goes up from there. you can get them all the way up to 85 inches. next up, i love this revolve product that takes your smart home devices and unifies it all. so instead of separate apps and remotes for your tivo and your nest thermostat and your sonos, this one device does it all. you download a free app for your smartphone or tablet, and, again, it's super-easy setup. it controls everything regardless of the company and product that you've invested in. love that? $299 for a onetime fee there. activision has a new skylanders game coming out this fall. you know skylanders, right? this is trap team. so the idea is the same. you place those action figures on the portal of power. they come alive inside of the video game on your tv, but now the other way around happens, as well. you can take a virtual character from the game and trap them in the physical world. these are crystals that snap into the new portal of power. bring them with you to a friend's house. they light up and talk to you inside the portal. great fun.

out this fall, and that's trap team skylanders for activision. i love this app -- just came out last week at the app store. it's called star wars scene maker from disney. this allows you to make your very own "star wars" scenes based on those iconic movies that you grew up with -- amazing stuff where you use your fingertip on the ipad to choose what characters you want and where they go and what cameras you want to use, and then share it with your friends afterwards -- facebook or youtube. great fun, free to download. star wars scene maker with some optional in-app purchases. if music is more your thing, this is sony music unlimited -- an on-demand app that lets you listen to your favorite music on any device. so your smartphone, your tablet, your pc, your tv, even your playstation 4 like we're seeing here. you can listen to your favorite songs while you're playing games. nobody is really downloading anymore. you're streaming it on demand. 25 million tracks to choose from, under a 100 bucks for a whole year with the new premium service. it's a sale through gamestop, and that's called music unlimited -- great service. and then finally, speaking of music,

the ihome ibn27. this is a bluetooth speaker -- 59 bucks, great for the outdoors. well, there you have it -- some summer tech ideas. i'm marc saltzman for "teen kids news." thanks for watching. >> it's up there right now -- the international space station, orbiting the earth. you can actually see it overhead in the clear night sky. to find out when to look, go to... they'll notify you when it's passing over your town. consider it an invitation from space. >> we like to know what's on your mind, so here's our "speak of the week." >> remember the song "if i had a million dollars"? well, even if you don't, let's pretend you had a million dollars. how would you spend it? >> i'd do a lot of different things. >> probably go on a crazy

shopping spree. >> first, i'd put a lot into, like, my bank account to save for later for college. >> i would certainly give some to the charities and, like, for example, cancer because it seems to be running in my family line a lot, and i hope people can find a cure for it soon. >> then i would give a bit to charity. >> i would probably donate some to charity, and then put some in, like, my college fund. >> then i'd probably give some to different people in my family. >> if i won a million dollars, i'd... get a nicer house and give some to charity. >> then i'd... spend it on stuff, go on a shopping spree. >> it's nice to see that so many of us think of those in need. with "speak of the week", i'm monika. >> coming up, i'll take you to the incredible mansions of newport, rhode island.

uh just gonna hang out. with gary and todd? yea. i've been meaning to ask you, is there any drinking going on in this crowd? no. so if any of your buddies ever pressure you to take a drink, just tell them you promised your dad you wouldn't. i'd do anything to keep you safe. ok. i will. i hope this is working. i promise. i love you too dad. they really do hear you. for tips on what to say visit underagedrinking.samhsa.gov

>> during the 1990's, there was an economic boom, and grand, new houses were built for the newly rich. but as nicole tells us, that happened in the 1890's, as well, on the shores of the atlantic ocean in rhode island. >> when you see the grand estates of newport, it's hard to imagine that the area has rather modest beginnings. in 1639, it was settled by english refugees fleeing religious persecution in massachusetts. over the years, quakers, catholics, and jews, among others, found safe haven here. in fact, newport is home to america's oldest jewish synagogue. in more modern times, it was here at st. mary's that john f. kennedy and wife, jackie, tied the knot. where yachts and sailboats now crowd the docks, in the 1700's, this was a major seaport for sailing ships from around the world. one of the signers of the declaration of independence

hailed from newport, william ellery. during the american revolution, the british occupied the town for three years. after the british left newport, it became the base for french troops sent to aid the colonies. under general rochambeau, 5,000 french soldiers marched to join general washington at yorktown. this painting shows the british surrender that ended the revolution. the americans are on the right, and the french on the left. in the early 1800's, southern plantation owners came north to newport to build grand summer homes. not to be outdone, wealthy yankees began to build even bigger homes. that set off a race between the richest families in america to try and out-build one another. they hired the most famous architects of the day and had them design palatial estates. this was the gilded age, the time of the titans who industrialized america. with almost limitless resources,

they built on a scale that would have humbled even european royalty, and with pretended indifference, they casually referred to their massive mansions simply as "cottages." marble house was commissioned by one of the famous vanderbilts. he gave it to his wife as a birthday present. another vanderbilt built an even bigger cottage, the breakers. entire rooms were built in europe, then shipped and reassembled here. this is the elms. it was one of the first houses in newport to showcase a new invention -- electricity. rosecliff was inspired by the grand trianon on the palace grounds of versailles in paris. rosecliff has been the setting for a number of movies, including "27 dresses." the mansion is also often rented for parties and weddings. huh, not a bad place for a high-school prom. amazingly, all this splendor was

only enjoyed for a few months each year during what was called by the super rich "the social season." in all, 11 properties have been acquired by the preservation society of newport county. the society is dedicated to preserving this rich heritage and offers fascinating guided tours. for more information, visit our website, teenkidsnews.com. in newport, rhode island, for "teen kids news," i'm nicole. >> that's our show for this week. thanks for watching "teen kids news." we'll see you next time.

>> here's a shout-out to pr newswire for including "teen kids news" on their big screen in times square, new york city. >> here's a shout-out to all our troops serving in afghanistan. "animal adventures" is brought to you by

anheuser-busch theme parks -- a pledge and a promise, hoping to preserve the world we share. hanna: when you think of penguins, cold weather and icebergs come to mind, not sunbathers and beaches. hi, i'm jack hanna, here at my base camp on the serengeti plain at busch gardens, tampa bay. the endangered african penguin inhabits offshore coastal islands, so i was really surprised to find an entire colony of these guys living and relaxing on a public beach near cape town. but penguins aren't the only birds that caught my eye in south africa. at the world of birds, walter mangold's feathered friends come from all over the world. [ african tribal music plays ]