Halloween without Bees Would be Scary

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My social media feed is currently full with pictures of friends helping their kids carve jack-o-lanterns.  I have fond childhood memories of sitting on the kitchen floor and carving jack-o-lanterns.  Mom put newspaper down in an attempt to keep the pumpkin carnage off her cabinets and counter tops.  Dad did the knife work and tried to faithfully carve out the designs my brother and I drew on the pumpkins with a marker.  I was allowed to “scoop out the guts” which is what we called the seeds and stringy inside flesh.  Who doesn’t love a happy jack-o-lantern on the front porch in October?  Pumpkins have come to symbolize fall, but this fall tradition would not be possible without bees. Continue reading →

Humorous Encounters Teaching Kids about Bees

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One of my favorite things to do is to teach kids about honey bees.  Our local bee club makes outreach a priority, and we receive many requests each year to give presentations at schools, scout meetings, and church groups.  I have had the opportunity to participate in many of those outreach events and all I can say is, “God bless all of you public school teachers!”  Keeping a group of young kids focused on what you are trying to teach is about as easy as getting a honey bee that flew up your pant leg to go back down.  (By the way, it is impossible to get a honey bee to go back down your pant leg.  That’s why it is a good idea wrap something around your pants legs to keep the bees out when you are working the hives.  One of my fellow beekeepers calls it the Honey Bee Hoedown when a bee flies up a person’s pants.)  In this week’s post, I thought I would give you a flavor of what it is like to teach a classroom full of kids about bees. Continue reading →