Your School and Beekeeping

[beemaster]

Hi Guys:

I'm curious about whether your school has had any beekeeping related science classes - wondering what they actually teach these days I guess.

Have you ever used beekeeping as a topic for a project or report, or have you ever tried to get a school obsevation hive or any bee course started and finally, would you ever lecture to the younger students about your hobby - try to get some local school grade and middle school kids into the hobby through your enthusiasm?

Very curious about these questions - I'm asking because my mentor Mike who was a classmate of mine from second grade through graduation made several efforts to do ALL of the ABOVE - and he is/was a serious naturalist and to this day he is the most knowledged person I know when it comes to animals and insects.

The neatest two things he ever taught me (the second I hope I do justice to it in describing the experience) but the first was: the TURKEY BUZZARD PUKES on you as an escape mechanism, just as a skunk sprays, the turkey buzzard barf is VERY smelly and hard to get off - lol.

The second, while driving deep into a game reserve, we parked along an open field during a lightly raining evening. The distance between us and the trees across an open field was about 1000 feet.

Mike parked his truck facing the field, putting his headlights on high and said "WATCH THIS". He hit his horn and I watched the rain VIBRATE as it fell as the sound waves travelled from the horn through the rain. AFTER the horn blew, I could see the rain vibrating all the way to the line of trees and back again as the echo from the horn returned to us. It was almost like a crowd doing a wave at a football event, but it was just the rain shaking as it responded to the dound NOT once but twice - it was one of the coolest things I ever saw.

So... away from this forum, are you making and effort OR active in any school related (even club related) beekeeping stuff?

[Bee Boy]

I'm homeschooled so I have a beekeeping class :P  :D

[buzz]

Me too! :lol:

[Beth Kirkley]

Maybe you're local library would let you do a presentation for the public. ?? If that interests you.
I can think of lots of cool places to do a talk. :)

Beth

[Bee Boy]

Don't know....I don't have that much experience with bees yet...

[Beth Kirkley]

I'll tell you though Bee Boy, you know more NOW than the average person knows about bees. I think people would be fasinated to hear it, especially coming from a young beekeeper. The "wild & daring" young beekeeper!
I'm no expert, but my friends and family love to hear me talk "bee-talk". They think I'm brave, smart, and quite the business woman now. :) I only have two hives, and only doing this for a year, but they don't realize how really simple beekeeping can be. My daughter even gets a kick out of telling people I have bees. And when she delivers honey to the people I have her give gifts too (teachers, friend's parents, and relatives out of state where she's spending the summer), she laughs because the usual comment is "your mom makes honey?!". She says (smiling) "no, her bees make the honey, she just put it in the jar".

Beth

[Bee Boy]

Yeah I guess you're right :lol: I'll have to give that some thought.....

[Horns Pure Honey]

I am working on it. Are new librairy has a large rec room for presentations. I think some time in the next summer when the hive is strong I will see if they would like it. Bye

[Horns Pure Honey]

My school teachers are being stupid about the bees. We will have a science club next year and I am suppose to be in it. Well due to me taking 4 classes at my school and going to vocational school in the other 4 hours I have no free time for a science class. This means I cant be in the science club. They havent gotten these rules approved yet and I dont think they will pass due to all other clubs must let people join even if the person isnt in a special class. What are your thoughts? thanks

[Jerrymac]

After I got these bees boxed up the wife and daughter came out and we were talking bees. The husband is a farmer, the wife a nurse, and I'm guessing the daughter was 6 or 7 yo. They didn't know why the bees made honey. Didn't know much at all about them. Also didn't know wasp made nest out of paper.

So one never knows what another doesn't know about bees.

[Horns Pure Honey]

Sorry Jerry, they are all for the bees, they just dont want a kid in the club that is not in science class. I just think that they need to make an exception, bye

[Horns Pure Honey]

O yeah, and one of the teacher had the nerve to ask me if they could still use my bees and that I would only be aloud to check on them 1 time a month, I would have to check them more than that, such a stupid teacher. I have like all my science teachers till now.

[Violacea]

Just tell 'em you have very sensitive bees who have been prone to attack people they don't approve of "Mainly science club students and teachers", and unless of course they have your daily-undivided attention, you just don't know what they'll do.   :shock:

I would NOT leave my bees in the hands of another in that I could only check on them once a month.   I might IF I knew the person looking after them really well and was confident they could handle it with their knowledge, but only letting you come once a month smells fishy.

I can understand them not letting you in the club,  they have set down certain standards and have to stick to them (sure, it may be a letdown), but you should be able to check on *Your* bees whenever.

[Horns Pure Honey]

Yeah I told them 2 times a week at least and that the club would suffer badly without members outside of the class like all the other clubs, that is how they make it. bye :)

[Violacea]

Something else that doesn't make sense *to me*:  if they just want your bees, how are they benefiting?  I mean, it seams to me they would *WANT* you there, crack open the hive, explain all the cool stuff going on, other wise the hive is just going to be sitting there?  Not that it's not cool to just watch the bees from the outside, but still, it's only half the experience.

[Horns Pure Honey]

yeah I know.