Springtime and honeybees
The weather here in Philadelphia was simply gorgeous yesterday - about 65F (18C) and generally sunny all day. It felt like spring. It smelled like spring. And the timing was just perfect for us to attend a presentation on honeybees at the kids' school.
Cliff Wright-Sunflower owns a honey farm in northeastern Pennsylvania. He also puts on a program called "Dancin' with the Honeybees" for schools. Nick and Maria's school offered the program last night as part of their Science Series for families. All five of us were there, and over the course of the night, all five of us ended up on stage participating in the show. First up was Maria, who was part of the court that attends the queen bee. Next, Anna and I got picked to be part of the brood of newly born bees. Nick and Chelsea rounded out the group as drones.
In truth, nearly everyone in the auditorium ended up on stage over the course of the presentation. It was lively, it was educational, and you're going to have to picture the scene in your mind, because I forgot to bring the camera with me. Actually, since Anna and I had the only seated roles in the hive, my pictures would have been of the backs of the nursemaid bees' legs.
Interesting bee fact: There has been a blight which has reduced the bee population by roughly a third in the US over the last two years. Turns out the cause is a new form of pesticide that wipes out the immune systems of bees and causes them to become vulnerable to viruses that do not normally affect them. Cliff taught us that if we like to eat fruits and vegetables, we have to protect the remaining bees that are still around. I had read about the blight before, but when I'd heard about it they were still unsure of the cause.
Cliff Wright-Sunflower owns a honey farm in northeastern Pennsylvania. He also puts on a program called "Dancin' with the Honeybees" for schools. Nick and Maria's school offered the program last night as part of their Science Series for families. All five of us were there, and over the course of the night, all five of us ended up on stage participating in the show. First up was Maria, who was part of the court that attends the queen bee. Next, Anna and I got picked to be part of the brood of newly born bees. Nick and Chelsea rounded out the group as drones.
In truth, nearly everyone in the auditorium ended up on stage over the course of the presentation. It was lively, it was educational, and you're going to have to picture the scene in your mind, because I forgot to bring the camera with me. Actually, since Anna and I had the only seated roles in the hive, my pictures would have been of the backs of the nursemaid bees' legs.
Interesting bee fact: There has been a blight which has reduced the bee population by roughly a third in the US over the last two years. Turns out the cause is a new form of pesticide that wipes out the immune systems of bees and causes them to become vulnerable to viruses that do not normally affect them. Cliff taught us that if we like to eat fruits and vegetables, we have to protect the remaining bees that are still around. I had read about the blight before, but when I'd heard about it they were still unsure of the cause.
