2011 Annual Report for YNC10-057
Sharing the Buzz: Beekeeping and the Plants That Attract Them - Teaching Other Kids About These Amazing Creatures
Summary
WORK ACTIVITIES
Bees can be tricky. I got my bees last May. We installed them into the hive and watched them all summer. I never got stung! I was happy about that. I did see the queen once and lots of eggs, brood & honey. We watched them all around our farm as they found nectar and pollen.
Early winter we checked the bees and they had left the hive. We think they didn’t have enough honey stored or maybe not enough worker bees. I was really sad but I know this can happen.
With my mentor, Chip Hankley, I learned how to test the bees to see if they have mites. You put bees in a jar with powdered sugar, then pour the powdered sugar out on a paper towel. We didn’t need to treat our bees. Chip is going to raise a nuc for us so I can have another hive of bees this year. I’m excited about that.
OUTREACH
I have shared lots of information with lots of people. I spoke at the 2011 National Small Farm Trade Show and Conference in Columbia, Missouri (that was scary but really fun). There were about 30 people at my talk. I have also spoken to our local homeschoolers about my project (36 people) and our local Kiwanis group (24 people). I am going to speak this Friday to a group of local Tiger Cubs.
WORK PLAN FOR 2012
I want to get another hive going. I also plan to talk to a few more groups, hopefully the school in our town. I want to plant many more flowers that attract bees.