Don't believe everything you learn in animated films about bees is one of the messages students in Grade 2 from Ratushniak Elementary School in Maidstone took home from their field trip to Pedersen Apiaries near Cut Knife last week.
Students sat in the silent honey house surrounded by the scent of beeswax as they listened to Karen Pedersen talk about her workers.
Pedersen is a fifth generation bee keeper who operates the apiary with her parents. They have about 800 hives and high yields. Pedersen asked the students what they knew about bees, dispelling some of the myths and teaching them about the tiny creatures she finds so fascinating.
She showed the students honey from around the world and took apart an empty hive so the students could see where the bees live and work. She explained they are usually producing honey from the middle of July until the end of September but expect to be late this year because canola "the back bone of the honey crop" as she puts it, is late in reaching blossom stage.
Pedersen had a bee sting her to show the students how a body reacts to the sting, how the venom sac looks and how to remove the stinger if they find themselves getting stung by a bee.
She explained the roles of the different bees and how the children should act around bees to avoid being stung. Students had a chance to learn about the art and science of keeping bees and the tools and techniques used in the trade.
A sweet ending to the morning meant a taste of Pedersen's own honey spread on fresh bread and opportunity to buy some to take home.
