Thank you so much for your interest in visiting Wildernest Hive and having the desire to learn about our precious honeybees. Bees play a vital role in not only our ecosystem, but the food we eat as well and are unfortunately on the decline. Educating our youth about these amazing little insects is the best first step in combating their threat.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
This Wildernest Hive visit will be a fun, interactive 1-2 hour session where children will receive hands on experience with bees and beekeeping equipment, as well as playing some bee related games. The following activities are what can be expected out of this educational visit:
INTRODUCTION
Visitors will brought in close, safe proximity of the hive to observe the bees doing their jobs and learn five key topics about bees via large photo posters representing each topic (the beekeeper, bee lifecycle, the queen, bee communication, and honey.
HIVE PARTS & EQUIPMENT
There will be a station set up featuring an empty hive, beekeeping tools, and equipment. Vistors will be able to maniuplate the hive frames, pull them out, put them back in, and learn about each part of the hive. There will also be bee suits, veils, and various tools they can put on, touch, and play with.
POLLINATION GAME
Visitors will have the chance to act out being a bee and learn about how they pollinate flowers with this interactive game. Various fake flowers, sprinkled with natural spices/powder (tumeric, cinnamon, etc), will be spread around the immediate yard area. Players will be give q-tips, which resemble a bee’s “pollen pants,” and be asked to collect the “pollen” from each flower. Once collected, players must make their way to the big white flower and “paint” it with their q-tip, mimicking the way bee’s transfer pollen from one plant to the next. Lastly, players will return q-tips to a “hive” and discuss what they just learned.
LIVE BEE INTERACTION
Visitors will get to see a real frame of working bees up close through the safety of an observation hive (a frame of bees enclosed in a glass case). They will watch these bees tend to the brood (babies), use magnifying glasses to potentially find eggs and larvea inside of the honecomb cells, and witness different forms of communication and work. Visitors will also have the opportunity to handle a real live Drone (male bee)! Drones are stingless and completely harmless.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is there a limit on how many people can attend?
No, groups of all sizes are welcome.
Is there a risk the kids will be stung?
Yes! While I keep the presentation and games a good distance from the hive, there is always a risk for stings with a working hive nearby. I do require a waiver of liability and ask that children with allergies either avoid the visit, or notify me beforehand so I can make accommodations.
ABOUT WILDERNEST HIVE
Wildernest Hive is located on 6 acres of private, wooded property in Acushnet. It sits on a cleared area of wetlands, setback a few hundred feet from the driveway. Visitors can safely congregate in this area without getting too close to the bees and hive.