There is a BUZZ around Rohan Woods School today. You may think it is talk about upcoming holiday break, making cookies or Santa coming to town…but that’s not the buzz! Rohan Woods has been selected by the Bee Cause Project and Whole Kids Foundation to be the recipients of a honeybee observation hive! We are thrilled about this wonderful opportunity to teach our RWS students about the importance of bees and their impact on so many areas of our lives.
The Honeybee Observation Hive Grant Program’s goal is to encourage curiosity in young people about the importance of honeybees in our lives and food system, the need to understand and embrace bees, and the value of caring about their well-being through the installation of beehive schools.
We will be installing our honeybee hive in the Science room. Our hive will be enclosed between panes of glass (much like the picture) with an entrance and exit to the outdoors. We have a professionally trained beekeeper who will serve as a mentor and guide us in the various ways to keep our hive healthy and thriving.
Today, our relationship with the honeybee is not sustainable. The number of honeybee colonies has decreased drastically in recent years. As the Center of Urban Agriculture at the University of Georgia Extension (UGA) reported, “As bee populations decline due to Colony Collapse Disorder, rampant pesticide use, loss of habitat, pests and diseases, the spreading of awareness is increasingly critical in our efforts to reverse the problem. The bees give us an opportunity to increase awareness of how to not only live sustainably within the system, but how to nurture it as well.” Keith Delaplane, a UGA entomologist, reports that honey bees are an extremely docile species of bees; and some beekeepers claim that honey bees are so docile that – when foraging for food in a flower – you can actually pet them. That’s a good question to ask our trained beekeeper. In addition to the honey they produce, honeybees help pollinate and produce more than 100 types of crops and foods we enjoy; including, broccoli, potatoes, strawberries, blueberries, grapes…and chocolate!
Rohan Woods is proud to sponsor with the Bee Cause Project and Whole Kids Foundation to teach the next generatio
n of scientists, farmers, biologists and foodies the importance of a sustainable bee population and while doing so – do our part to help improve our local bee population.