There was a real buzz of excitement in Kindergarten this week when Mrs G, our visiting beekeeper, arrived in her bright lime green bee suit to teach the children all about honey bees and life inside a hive.
Mrs G shared fascinating photographs of her hives, including a close-up of her very first queen bee, marked with a red dot so she can be easily spotted among the thousands of other bees. The children were fascinated to learn how worker bees care for the queen and keep the hive running smoothly.
The children also enjoyed exploring some of Mrs G’s beekeeping equipment, including a hive tool, queen catcher box, bee brush and protective gloves. They learned about the different roles within the hive, discovering that worker bees are all female and collect nectar and pollen, while the male drones spend much of their time eating honey and sleeping!
Some of the most surprising facts included learning that bees can travel up to three miles in search of flowers and that they make honey by fanning their wings to evaporate water from the nectar before sealing it with wax.
It was a wonderful morning, and the children left with a greater understanding of these amazing insects and the important role they play in nature.