Learning with Bees

available September to mid February

Bees are such interesting insects. They help our ecosystem by pollinating three quarters of the plants that we eat as food and also a lot of the beautiful flowers that exist in our gardens. Most people know this and are aware of how important they are, but are you aware of how they achieve this significant work? Learn all about their colony structure, what products they create for us, and what goes on in a commercial beehive.

Meet the Bees

The demonstration hive enables you to see what the bees are doing safely, without the noise and need for PPE required to accesso a real hive

Options

Demonstration hive - At your site/premise - we bring along our demonstration hive which provides an opportunity to see bees as they would be in a normal hive environment without the risk of getting stung or needing to put on a bee suit. This is an excellent for where there is a larger group, and for people with allergies or those nervous to be around an open hive. $50 per hour

We can create a session based on your specific needs i.e. schools and ECE's - meeting the curriculum and key competencies; Businesses - team building sessions,

Recommended for School classrooms, Resthomes, businesses

Bee Experience - a maximum of 6 people are provided with all necessary PPE for beekeeping, get to an introduction to working in Commercial Bee Hives on our home apiary in Maryhill, Dunedin. This is a two hour session which involves discussion on safety around hives, getting into the hives and learning how to look for the queen, understanding the different types of bees that make up a colony, how honey is made and getting all your questions answered. There is also a honey tasting at the end of the experience and the participants go away with a small jar of honey and some beeswax. Children as young as 2 years old can be part of this experience, but the must be accompanied with an adult per child. We believe that children get the most out of this experience from age 4-5.

Recommended for small school groups, business groups, tours and family/organisation groups.

Individual or small group experience in one of our local apiaries. This is suitable for anyone looking at getting their own hive in the future. You come out to a commercial apiary for up to 10 sessions (dependent on need) that will give you the basics to owning your own hive. You will learn, among other things, what to look for in regards to diseases and pests, how to deal with swarming, what to do and when to harvest your honey, and how to prepare your bees for winter. $50 per session, per person, maximum 2 people.

Recommended for people who want to know more about having their own hives.

We have suits for everyone from two years old.

Get into a commercial hive within a safe environment and learn how the bees make your honey

What is going on in the hive.? So much is going on in the hive.

We can provide a honey frame which is well sealed so bees don't smell the honey.

Other Services

Come out to the apiaries with us to learn more

We have bee suits for children aged from two upwards. We have a variety of adult sized suits
There are books, educational materials and a range of learning activities which we can provide to ECE's and schools to support teachers

Things to think about

Bees are an important part of our ecosystem. We offer an opportunity to learn about the bees through hands on activities. We work hard to provide these in such a way that bees are not seen as being scary or intimidating. The more that is learnt about bees, the more you can understand why they behave in specific ways that can make them seem aggressive and scary, when really they are not that way when treated with respect.

Some people have severe and dangerous allergies to bees and in particular their stings. We are able to work with this by having a demonstration hive, where the bees are encapsulated into a veiwing hive that they can't get out of. This hive not only provides an opportunity to see what bees do but also ensures that they are able to complete their usual work without being put under any undue stress. Because the demonstration hive is portable it is ideal for using at your site or premise.

Learning about bees in ECE's and schools

We recommend the demonstration hive options for schools. We can provide you with a demonstration hive for a school day from 10am.

We have a range of resources for all age groups and create learning activities and lesson plans to suit your curriculum requirements.

If you would like to have a normal hive onsite at the school we can provide you with this for free, with ongoing support to a small number of students at an hourly cost of $50. We recommend no more than 6 students for each session. We will return 10% of any honey from that hive to the school to sell.