We were delighted to have a parent and bee keeper in to speak to the children about bee keeping, bees and where honey comes from. We were all enthralled by all the information and were delighted to be informed of some of facts from this secret society hobby as many people quietly keep bees in their backyards and on bits of land up and down the country.
Facts about bees:
* Each bee will only produce about 1/12th of a teaspoon of honey in its lifetime
* There are three types of bees in a hive: the queen bee, workers and drones. The queen and workers are female and the drones are male.
*Bees do a “waggle” dance to share the location and distance of nectar and pollen sources with other bees in the hive.
* There are 101 different species of bees in Ireland.
We were lucky to see inside the hive and see how the wax honeycomb cells are made. We tried some honey that was made in Castleiney
Busy bees are humming, through the sunny hours,
gathering the sweetness, from the summer flowers.
Taking to the bee-hive near the apple tree,
Food for all who live there, honey for my tea.
Thanks a million to Diarmuid Stone for his fantastic demonstration and for giving up his time and effort. We all really enjoyed it and found it immensely informative.
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Queen bees in the junior room ( life cycle of the bee)
