Honey Bees are the "glue" that hold the American Agriculture system together. And we aren't talking about the sticky honey they produce!
Pollination is the main job of Honey Bees in America, and these little critters are exceptional at their job! Let us show you the magic that occurs within a Honey Bee hive! We safely bring LIVE BEES to your classroom to give an up close and personal view into the world of the honey bee.
Students will be able to:
Distinguish between the queen, the workers and the drones!
See the excitement of a newborn bee hatching from her cell!
Understand the full metamorphic life cycle of insects!
See and handle the products of the hive, including honey, beeswax, pollen, propolis, and royal jelly!
See how honey is extracted from the bee hive! (Brand New!)
Taste several different varieties of honey!
Learn all about honeybees and why they are SO IMPORTANT to our daily lives!
***This program is offered April through October, since honey bees are weather-dependent insects.***
Brett's passion for honeybees and beekeeping stems from his innate love of the natural world. After attending an 8 week beekeeping seminar in Asheville, he fell in love with apiculture and the labor of love that accompanies honey bees. Brett worked for The Spicewood Farm in Asheville, NC, managing 60 colonies for varietal vintage honey production. After attending the 2006 Eastern Apicultural Society's weeklong summer conference in Young Harris, Georgia, commercial beekeepers invited him to travel to California to work in the commercial beekeeping industry. After two stints of working with the "big boys" of the apicultural world, Brett gained firsthand experience working with 6,000 colonies of honeybees!
Brett has served as President of the Ashe County Beekeepers Association in 2012 and serviced the beekeepers of Ashe, Alleghany and Watauga Counties with help establishing and maintaining hives in the High Country of North Carolina.
Brett has taught honeybee education programs all over North Carolina, and enjoys bringing the apiary inside the classroom to give students a first-hand look at the "Magic Inside The Hive."
Videos of Brett's Beekeeping Demonstration at Turtle Island Preserve: