Students Learn about Honeybees from Forsyth County Beekeepers

At their Feb. 6 meeting, fourth and fifth grade students, who are part of Cornerstone Schools’ Eco-Eagles after school environmental club, enjoyed a visit from the Forsyth County Beekeepers Club. The mission of the FCBC is the education and preservation of the honeybee and the products they make.

Beekeeper Marc Conlyn, talked about the history of the honeybee, an insect that has been around for ten million years taking care of themselves. He explained that beekeepers have only been helping to care for honeybees for the last 5,000 years. Students learned that in 1975 Georgia made the honeybee its official state insect because it’s the only insect that makes food through pollination, and that the honeybee is responsible for contributing $15 billion to our national economy by pollinating. 

“Over 50 of Georgia’s food crops are pollinated by honeybees, including pears, tomatoes, beans, strawberries, cucumbers, melons and squash,” explained Conlyn. “Honeybees are strictly vegetarians who only like blooming plants, unlike the carnivorous yellow jackets and wasps that frequent our picnic tables, open soda containers, and garbage cans.”

Conlyn went on to explain to the children how beehives are a female society. “An average hive can have up to 61,000 honeybees of which only 1,000 are boys, known as drones, and one queen,” said Conlyn. “Females do all the work and make all the decisions in the beehive, and every September they kick the drones out of the hive.”

A drones’ lifespan is only March to September. Females live generally six months, except for the queen who can live up to five years during which time she will lay upwards of one million eggs. Nurse bees feed the queen royal jelly produced in the hive to keep her healthy.

After the presentation concluded, students enjoyed tasting local honey. Conlyn explained that local honey may help prevent seasonal allergies since honeybees use the pollen from local plants which eventually ends up in your honey, helping you to build up immunity.

“Local honey can also help ease your sore throat during the cold season,” said Conlyn. “Eating a teaspoon of honey or adding it to a cup of warm tea can provide soothing relief.”

Due to its natural anti-inflammatory effect, honey can heal wounds more quickly. It also has different phytochemicals--chemicals found in plants and different foods--that kill viruses, bacteria, and fungus making it a good substitute for wound dressings. The taste may also take your mind off the pain. There is evidence that honey diluted in water will help with your stomach aches and dehydration. Honey may also be good for your skin. It has the ability to attract water. It’s also safe for sensitive skin. It can be used as a moisturizing mask for your skin as well as your hair.

“Through these real life presentations, we hope to educate, raise awareness, and connect children to nature,” said Denise Carleton of Reaping Nature Educational Outreach Foundation, a non-profit organization who runs the Eco-Eagles program. “Hopefully this presentation helped demystify the honeybee for the children and gave them a new found respect and understanding for this little amazing creature that we truly depend upon.”

Visit the Forsyth Beekeepers Club or Reaping Nature Web sites to learn more about these organizations and the programs they provide.