Written by Juno & Emma, Year 7
When we started Bee Club last September , we were terrified of bees but thought that it would be a shame to miss out on such a beautiful part of nature. We also thought it sounded like a cool club and thought it would be fun to be in a bee suit. We were determined to face our fears.
We have learnt so much, for example: we didn’t know that honey is essentially bee vomit; a worker bee only makes a twelfth of a teaspoon in their lives; worker bees only live for six weeks during the summer, but the queen bee lives for 2-4 years! We have also learnt about the diseases that can affect bees and their importance in pollinating flowers.
Next year we hope to go for the BBKA junior certificate that some doing bee club have done this year. As part of this they made scale models of the different types of honey bees and a model hive with the various parts that make it up.
We have potted up honey, made bees wax candles and new frames to go in the hive. In the summer months, we have got to manage our own hive and do hive inspections. Whoever first spots the queen bee in a new colony gets to name her. Our queen bees are called Petra and Francesca.
We are still a little scared of bees, but feel more confident when wearing the bee suits and in getting to know our own bees.