honeybee swarm at school

To Bee or Not To Bee . . .

The honeybee colony at school has been thriving -- so much so that it was time for the Old Queen to take her most faithful retainers and go elsewhere. "Elsewhere" in this case was the crabapple tree a few dozen yards from the library in which our observation hive is located. That didn't seem like a good thing, so we called on Joe Duffy, our local beekeeper and adviser, to take the prime swarm away.

He was already on campus delivering some of his honey to sell at the Spring Fair, and he didn't have most of his swarm management equipment with him. But he donned a bit of protective gear and climbed the tree.Nothing to it -- just shake the branch and they'll fall into the bucket. Then pour one bucketful of bees into the box. We think there's some special skill in knowing just how to shake and pour, however.
And then there was the question of the queen -- did she go into the bucket with her retinue? If she didn't, Joe said she was likely to come into the box later on her own.

Although everyone was taped off to a respectful distance, curiosity kept them as close as was allowed. There was even an opportunity for a bit of an expert lesson on bees, swarms, and how it all works. The bees that are left in the library hive will make a new queen by giving special food to some of the larvae, he said, and she will take over the egg-laying job.
Thanks, Joe, for taking the time to share your knowledge with the kids and finding a new home for our traveling honeybees!

Cool links for more about bees:
Nova: Tales from the Hive
See the World as a Honeybee Does!
Avoid Bee Stings
Carl Hayden Bee Research Center
How Do Bees Make Honey?
The Honey Expert's Kids Page

	The honeybee colony at school has been thriving -- so much so that it was time for the Old Queen to take her most faithful retainers and go elsewhere. "Elsewhere" in this case was the crabapple tree a few dozen yards from the library in which our observation hive is located. That didn't seem like a good thing, so we called on Joe Duffy, our local beekeeper and adviser, to take the prime swarm away.
He was already on campus delivering some of his honey to sell at the Spring Fair, and he didn't have most of his swarm management equipment with him. But he donned a bit of protective gear and climbed the tree.Nothing to it -- just shake the branch and they'll fall into the bucket. Then pour one bucketful of bees into the box. We think there's some special skill in knowing just how to shake and pour, however. And then there was the question of the queen -- did she go into the bucket with her retinue? If she didn't, Joe said she was likely to come into the box later on her own.


	Although everyone was taped off to a respectful distance, curiosity kept them as close as was allowed. There was even an opportunity for a bit of an expert lesson on bees, swarms, and how it all works. The bees that are left in the library hive will make a new queen by giving special food to some of the larvae, he said, and she will take over the egg-laying job. Thanks, Joe, for taking the time to share your knowledge with the kids and finding a new home for our traveling honeybees!