Bee School
Explore
Have you every wanted to learn about honeybees and beekeeping but were never sure where to start? Or maybe you have children, or a classroom or youth group with a keen interest in honeybees?
At The Farmers Cupboard, we are thrilled to offer Bee School, coming in the summer of 2023.
Bee School 2023
Bee School classes will be outdoors at our apiary and will focus on educating youth about the importance of providing bees with natural foraging grounds in both agricultural and urban areas, and how these areas should be protected.
We will talk about herbicides and pesticide use in orchards, farms and other agricultural surroundings and how it is affecting the bees.
Come to our apiary, grab a bee suit and together, we will look at:
- The components and structure of a Langstroth hive
- Beekeeping tools such as a J hook, a hive tool and a smoker and what they do for the beekeeper
- The frames in the hive and how the bees build up their wax
- A frame taken from a live hive and what it tells us just by looking at it (what the bees are collecting, what is in bloom at the moment, how much honey is being made if any and the pattern of the honey, and if there are any problems in the hive..etc.).
We will talk about the 3 castes of honeybees, what each of their jobs are, where and what they forage, and if we are lucky, we might be able to touch a drone if we see one (the male of the hive, who has no stinger).
We will look at the orchards around us and talk about the flowers that produce pollen and nectar, and which are best for our honeybees.
We will also cover honey harvesting and what that entails, and what it means for our honeybees as they get ready to winter.
Our Goal
Our goal is to educate the next generation of adults and decision makers in the Okanagan valley by providing a personal, hands on experience that will increase awareness of the pollinators in both urban and agricultural settings.
We aim to truly impact the students' understanding of honeybees and provide them, not only with an education on the subject; but with an interactive experience that will stay with them their whole lives.
How To Sign Up
Bookmark this page and check back often, we will launch our sign up form right here once Bee School is ready to start!
Class location: Summerland, British Columbia
Class timeframe: May - September 2023
*More information to be provided upon launch date.
