We have been learning all about bees and the amazing way they work together to make honey. This term is all about Whanaungatanga and bees are an amazing example of how communities work together for a common purpose, just like we do in society.
Lavinia told us all about what she does in a day and showed us all of the tools she uses in her job. We got to try on the bee suits that bee keepers wear to protect them from getting stung and smelt the sticky hive. It smelt just like yummy, sweet honey. Who would have thought?
She showed us videos and photos of what she does throughout the day and of the bees hard at work. Did you know it takes 22,700 bees to fill one jar of honey? A bee only carries 20-40 grams of nectar per trip trip so to make just one pound (450g) of honey a bee has to make 12,000-24,000 trips to a nectar source. Talk about hard work!
We found out that the bee suits don't always work and sometimes the beekeepers don't wear their suits so they often get stung. In fact Lavinia has been stung over a hundred times. She got stung 4 times just on Friday!
Beekeeper Lavinia brought in lots of bees for us to look at and we could see and hear them buzzing around. They are such complex creatures and are always working hard so it was awesome to see them in action eating their candy (they love sweet things).
We then asked Lavinia LOTS of questions that we had. All about how bees make their honey, how they live together and what it is like being a bee keeper.
It was such a special day and we were so lucky to learn about bees from such an experienced person.
Remember bees are so important for the environment and they really don't want to sting you, so show them lot's of love by not using pesticides, planting lots of yummy flowers and giving them a safe distance so they don't think you want to hurt them.
Bees are such a fascinating part of the world and a perfect example of how complex and amazing God's creation is.
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