Beekeeping With Kids

Beekeeping is a good way to teach children about how food is made. It demonstrates how bees take pollen and turn it into a food source for their own survival. Beekeeping also teaches children about community and how the bees all work together in order to perform a given task. Each bee in the hive works together to accomplish one goal. It's all about teamwork.

  1. Safety

    • Follow all safety precautions when beekeeping with children. Children should be completely suited up anytime they are working with the bees to prevent any injury. It can be very dangerous if a child does not know he is allergic to bees and accidentally gets stung.

    Dead Bees

    • Teach children the proper way to handle dead bees. Even a dead bee can sting if you touch the stinger. Have the children wear gloves and hold the dead bee by the body. Do not allow them to handle the dead bees without gloves.

    Building a Hive

    • Allow the children to build a hive for their bees. Order the hive from any bee supply store. This will teach the children about the bee habitat and allow them to get a closer look at where honey is produced and where the action takes place.

    Establishing the Hive

    • Order your bees from a bee supply store and add them to the hive. You will get to show the children the queen. She is the one who controls the entire hive. Explain that all work in the hive centers around the queen. In the hive, the queen can be found by looking for her "circle of daughters". These bees will circle the queen and tend to her every need.

    Smokers

    • Teach the children to use a smoker so they can move the bees. Occasionally you will need to split the hive if it begins to get too large. Have the children use a smoker to stun the bees and make them lie dormant while you are moving them to a new hive.

    Frame Lifters

    • Show the children how to lift the honey frames to check on honey production. A frame lifter will pull the screen out of the hive for inspection. Show the children how to change the frames, by using the frame lifter, once they are full.of honey and honeycomb.