Beekeeping Activities and Links

The Bee Cause Project educational resources: https://www.thebeecause.org/resources/

Pollinator.org

Watch a Video about the Uses of Medicinal Honey in Ancient Egypt - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EQhySgBkMKM

Learn about Stingless Mayan Bees and How They May Make a Comeback - https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2018/11/14/661814847/mexicos-endangered-stingless-bees-mysteriously-find-a-sweeter-home-in-cuba

Read about the Discovery of the Ancient Apiary in Israel - https://www.livescience.com/6555-beehives-biblical-israel-discovered.html

Watch a Video about the Invention of the Honey Extractor (in Czech with English subtitles) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32C-akis3Lw

Learn about Modern-Day Honey Hunters in Nepal - https://www.nationalgeographic.com/travel/article/photo-story-nepalese-honey-hunters-facing-largest-bees-world

Make an Ancient Honey Cake - https://www.slam.org/membership/current-members/ancient-honey-cakes-recipe/

View Inside a Hive at one of these Livestreams:

https://explore.org/livecams/honey-bees/honey-bee-hive-cam

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI4d7ohzBxw

Book Recommendations for This Section:

The Tears of Re: Beekeeping in Ancient Egypt by Gene Kritsky

On the Hive and the Honey-Bee: A Bee Keeper's Manual by LL Langstroth

Video/Webpage/Resource Links:

Multiple Varieties of Honey Can Be Purchased At:

https://savannahbee.com/collections/honey

https://beenaturalhoney.com/our-honey/

https://planetbee.com/collections/raw-honey

Use This Honey Tasting Flavor Guide and Notes Sheet for a Taste Test - http://www.bkcorner.org/documents/Honey-Tasting-Flavor-Guide.pdf

Information and Images of Cave Paintings (from ‘Honey Homelands’ and Elsewhere) Depicting Honey/Bees Can Be Seen At:

 https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/honey-cave-painting

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Honey-seeker-depicted-on-8000-year-old-cave-painting-at-Arana-Caves-in-Spain_fig1_260677542

https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/90888/view/early-honey-gathering-cave-painting

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Rock-painting-of-figure-smoking-a-beehive-Toghwana-Dam-Zimbabwe-Reprinted-from-Crane_fig2_241711355

Book Recommendations for This Section:

The Tears of Re: Beekeeping in Ancient Egypt by Gene Kritsky

On the Hive and the Honey-Bee: A Bee Keeper's Manual by LL Langstroth

Worksheets and Resources to Practice Labeling the Parts of a Honey Bee Can Be Found At:

https://dnr.maryland.gov/wildlife/Documents/Label_BeeButterfly.pdf

https://askabiologist.asu.edu/honey-bee-anatomy (More Advanced)

https://www.igb.illinois.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/IGB%20Honey%20Bee%20Labeling%20Answer%20Key_1.pdf

Videos About Bee Dances Can Be Found At:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PRGc7skekMQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7ijI-g4jHg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cylim87fFgU

Read the ‘Honey Bees Can Do Simple Math, After a Little Schooling’ Article From Smithsonian Magazine: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/honey-bees-can-do-simple-arithmetic-after-little-schooling-180971451/

Read ‘Honey bees can solve math equations better than many humans can, study finds’ from Firstpost: https://www.firstpost.com/tech/science/honey-bees-can-solve-basic-mathematics-despite-using-a-seed-sized-brain-study-6041771.html 

Take the Brood Area Estimation Quiz: https://stream.ucanr.org/bee_modules/skills_practice/brood_area_estimate/story_html5.html

Complete the ‘Honeycomb Math’ experience from DK12: https://discoveryk12.com/stem-maker-activity-34/ 

Watch the Video, Behind the Beehive - The Code: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5rWmGe0HBI

Make a 3D Honeycomb with This Activity from the National Honey Board: https://honey.com/images/files/2020-Educational-Materials-Inside-The-Hive-Activity-Sheet.pdf 

Read the ‘Honey Bee Math Facts’ from Blackwater Honey: https://blackwaterhoney.com/honey-bee-math/ 

Video/Webpage/Resource Links:

Watch this Video About Hive Location and Setup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhGPVFupkzA&list=PLhUDH9LkxRdOCiDcRXBEkgt0tZECBAO4Z&index=1

Book Recommendations for This Section:

Backyard Beekeeping: Everything You Need to Know to Start Your First Hive by David and Sheri Burns

Keeping Bees with Ashley English: All You Need to Tend Hives, Harvest Honey & More by Ashley English

Video/Webpage/Resource Links:

Watch Langstroth Installations in Action:

Nuc Installation  - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2iDuLVQBfs

Package Installation - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdDd6fwvQ-g

Resources for Other Hive Installations:

Top Bar Package Installation Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owf8uel4fqI&t=15s 

Flow Hive Nuc Installation Website - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owf8uel4fqI&t=15s 

Observation Hive Nuc Installation Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bI3-VQQqbWQ 

View this Website All About Queen Cells and Action Steps for Beekeepers: https://www.beekeepingmadesimple.com/blog/queencells 

View this Website for Information About Capturing Swarms: https://beebuilt.com/pages/how-to-catch-a-swarm 

Check Out this Page from Azure with Natural Beekeeping Tasks for Different Hives Month-by-Month: https://www.azurestandard.com/azure-life/blog/a-year-in-the-life-of-a-natural-beekeeper/KCBGJvtPETKYiioO 

Book Recommendations for This Section:

Backyard Beekeeping: Everything You Need to Know to Start Your First Hive by David and Sheri Burns

Keeping Bees with Ashley English: All You Need to Tend Hives, Harvest Honey & More by Ashley English

Video/Webpage/Resource Links:

Watch Honey Harvesting Method Videos:

Manual Extractor - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_Ptm0evTdc 

Electric Extractor - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3OzvK7ozMK4

No-Extractor Method - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIRMWYILzqc

Top Bar Hive Extraction - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qj-fXsT790k 

Flow Hive Extraction - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z54bL6kjyOI 

Learn About How to Obtain and Use Beeswax:

Find Beeswax to Buy -  https://bzzwax.com/blogs/all-beeswax/the-beeswax-guide-where-to-buy-quality-beeswax#:~:text=Local%20Bounty%3A%20Farmer's%20Markets%20and%20Beekeepers&text=Farmer's%20markets%20are%20vibrant%20hubs,passionate%20individuals%20behind%20the%20process.

Make Beeswax Candles - https://mommypotamus.com/beeswax-candles/

Make Beeswax Holiday Ornaments - https://www.candlescience.com/learning/how-to-make-beeswax-christmas-tree-ornaments/

Make Beeswax Decorative Bowls - https://littlepinelearners.com/diy-bowls-made-of-beeswax/ 

Book Recommendation for This Section:

Beekeeper’s Lab: 52 Family-Friendly Activities and Experiments Exploring the Life of the Hive by Kim Lehman

In particular, try Lab Numbers:

8 - Crush and Strain Honey Extractor (p. 32)

9-14 - Honey Recipes (Beginning on p. 35)

15-23 - Beeswax Crafts (Beginning on p. 49)

31, 32, 37 - Health and Beauty (Beginning on p. 85)

Video/Webpage/Resource Links:

Check Out These Resources About Creating Your Own Poetry: 

How to Write a Poem: A Step-by-Step Guide from Grammarly - https://www.grammarly.com/blog/how-to-write-a-poem/

How to Write a Poem Video from Reedsy - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qap_5aHX1q4 

Full Texts of Poems Mentioned in This Section:

John Keats’s To Autumn - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/44484/to-autumn 

Emily Dickinson’s Unnamed Bee Poem (plus others) - https://cales.arizona.edu/pubs/insects/ahb/inf13.html  

Sylvia Plath’s The Arrival of the Bee Box (plus others) - https://thebeeproject.weebly.com/sylvia-plath-and-the-bee-poems.html 

Mary Oliver’s Hum - https://poetrying.wordpress.com/2012/10/03/hum-mary-oliver/ 

Video/Webpage/Resource Links:

Take Action for Bees with Activities from The Bee Conservancy - https://thebeeconservancy.org/10-ways-to-save-the-bees/ 

Websites on Honey Bees and the Global Food Supply:

Read and Watch About This Issue on this World Wildlife Fund Page - https://www.worldwildlife.org/magazine/issues/fall-2014/articles/honeybees-farms-and-the-push-to-fix-our-global-food-system

Read This Article from The Center for Food Safety - https://www.centerforfoodsafety.org/issues/304/pollinator-protection/impacts-on-the-food-supply 

Websites on Budgeting for Beekeeping and Cutting Costs: 

Read This Article From ‘Keeping Backyard Bees’ on Ways to Cut Costs - https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/frugal-beekeeping-how-to-cut-costs/ 

Read this ‘Beginning Honey Beekeeping Equipment and Associated Costs’ article from Oklahoma State Univeristy AND Complete the Linked Excel Budgeting Spreadsheet to Determine Starting Costs - https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/beginning-honey-beekeeping-equipment-and-associated-costs.html 

Literary devices, definitions, and examples: https://writers.com/common-literary-devices

The Tears of Re: Beekeeping in Ancient Egypt by Gene Kritsky

On the Hive and the Honey-Bee: A Bee Keeper's Manual by LL Langstroth

Backyard Beekeeping: Everything You Need to Know to Start Your First Hive by David and Sheri Burns


Keeping Bees with Ashley English: All You Need to Tend Hives, Harvest Honey & More by Ashley English

Beekeeper’s Lab: 52 Family-Friendly Activities and Experiments Exploring the Life of the Hive by Kim Lehman
 (In particular, try Lab Numbers:
 8 - Crush and Strain Honey Extractor (p. 32)
/9-14 - Honey Recipes (Beginning on p. 35)
/15-23 - Beeswax Crafts (Beginning on p. 49)
/31, 32, 37 - Health and Beauty (Beginning on p. 85)


The Good Bee: A Celebration of Bees and How to Save Them by Alison Benjamin and Brian McCallum

The Little Book of Bees: An Illustrated Guide to the Extraordinary Lives of Bees by Hilary Kearney

The Backyard Beekeeper: An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping Bees in Your Yard and Garden by Kim Flottum

The Beekeeper’s Bible: Bees, Honey, Recipes, & Other Home Uses by Richard A. Jones and Sharon Sweeney-Lynch