Master beekeeper, Richard Chapin and other members of the Susquehanna County Beekeepers' Association presented an enjoyable and very informative program about honey bees and beekeeping. For more activities and information about bees, check out the links below:
As you would expect, this PBS site has lots of quality information and photographs. If you wonder how they got some of those amazing pictures, check out "The Making Of" section.
The National Honey Board's site has a section for kids. You can find recipes, trivia and a place to submit art, work, or thoughts about honey.
This site belongs to a group of 4H Beekeepers. There is practical information and lots of encouragement if you are considering beekeeping. Most of the photos are of children doing the work.
We began the program with a reading of Patricia Polacco's The Bee Tree.
Mr. Chapin used puppets to introduce the topic of honey bees. Then he described the workings of the hive by giving each of the students a job to do.
First, there is the queen and her court. The queen lays eggs and her court surrounds her and takes care of all her needs.
The baby bees (seated) are fed a mixture of pollen and honey by the nurse bees (standing).
Some bees regulate the temperature of the hive by fanning their wings.
Certain bees build the honeycomb by rubbing wax glands on the underside of their abdomens with a the middle set of legs.
When a bee dies inside the hive, the funeral bees carry it out.
Danger to the hive comes from many sources. Guard bees are posted at the door of the hive to keep watch and alert the others.
The field bees gather nectar and pollen from flowers and bring it back to the hive.
When they find a good source of nectar, the field bees communicate its location to the others through a "dance."
Mr. Barber shows a smoker, bee hive compartments and other beekeeping equipment.
The observation hive allows us a peek inside.
