students learn that bees are hairy creatures
and that Varroa mites are persistent para-
sites!
My students learn many aspects of bee
behavior through their own observation.
When my classroom hive is in operation it
is not unusual to find a group of students
clustered at the back of the classroom.
“Hey, we found the queen!” “Look!
Another one just hatched!” exclaims one
student as a young bee is observed emerg-
ing from its once-sealed cell. “Why is
that bee dancing and buzzing around all
funny?” “Look! I just saw a bee carry in
orange pollen! There is one with green
pollen! How many colors of pollen are
there?” The excitement they generate tells
me that valuable connections are being
made.
Queen bee surrounded by
some of her workers. If you
on honey before leaving the parent hive
Teachers who want an observation
look carefully, you can see and do not feel protective of any young or
hive in their classroom should start by
newly laid eggs in some of the
honey stores. With a little care it was easy
contacting a local beekeeper for help. The
cells. One per cell, the egg is
to scoop the swarm out of the ice chest
Cooperative extension Office at a college
small, white, and about the
and into the observation hive boxes.
or university near you can help you find a
shape of a rice kernel.
Coaxing a package of bees into the
beekeeper association in your area. Some
observation hive is another story alto-
beekeepers may even be able to loan a
gether. The observation hive boxes are
small observation hive to your classroom
narrow, making it difficult to shake the
for two or three weeks.
bees out of the package into the hive. A
Visit my Web page at www.tvja.org/
conventional hive box is much larger,
science/bees.htm to see more photos, infor-
making it easier to empty the bees into
mation, and links. If you would like to net-
the hive where they belong. The best and
work with fellow educators who teach with
easiest way to put new bees into an obser-
insects in the classroom, please join the
vation hive is to remove two full frames
new Teacher’s group on insectgeeks
containing an assortment of eggs, larva,
.com. !
honey, pollen, and workers from a healthy,
conventional hive and place them directly
into the observation hive. you can order a
Resources
new queen to put in the observation hive,
or watch the workers raise a new queen on
Blackiston, Howland. Beekeeping for Dummies.
Hoboken, NJ: Wiley Publishing, Inc., 2002.
Phil Kahler teaches
their own.
Delaplane, Keith S. Honey Bees and Beekeeping: A
seventh- to tenth-grade Year in the Life of an Apiary (available as book,
science and biology at VHS, or DVD). Athens, gA: The University of
Tualatin Valley Academy
A hive inside
georgia, 2006.
in Hillsboro, Oregon.
Tangley, L. “The Buzz on Native Pollinators,”
Together with his wife,
National Wildlife Magazine, 47 4 (June–July),
Toni, and son, Lucas,
Our observation hive provides a wealth
2009. http://www.nwf.org/NationalWildlife/
Phil enjoys gardening,
of material for students to observe under
article.cfm?issueID=129&articleID=1735.
beekeeping, camping, and the microscope. I plan several labs which
Webster, T., and D. Caron. Observation Hives: How
fishing. He’s an avid bird-
to Set Up, Maintain and Use a Window to the
teach my students to prepare microscope
watcher and photogra-
World of Honey Bees. Medina, OH: The A.I. Root
slides of bee wings, legs, and Varroa
pher who enjoys sharing
Company, 1999.
his passion for birds, the
mites. They enjoy this close observation
outdoors, and authentic
of the bees and are able to make accurate
science with his students. drawings. During these lab activities my
page  • Connect © synergy learning • 800-769-6199 • March/april 2010

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