Guest Speaker – Joise Adlam and “the secret life of bees…and their keepers”
Josie had her audience all abuzz with her tale of becoming a bee keeper, also know as insect keepers!
Some facts about bees include:
  • The average bee makes about ½ teaspoon of honey in its lifetime;
  • The average life time for a honey bee is between 3 to 6 weeks;
  • Bees are the only insect that can make food for humans;
  • Bees have two stomachs. One to eat with and one for transport;
  • They have 5 eyes and 2 sets of wings
  • Bees carry pollen on their hind legs, called a pollen basket;
  • Bees communicate through pheromones and special bee dances
 
Bees use their honeycomb cells to raise their babies in, and to store nectar, honey, pollen, and water.
Josie explained the process of honey production.  There are 5 products from a hive: honey, beeswax, pollen, propolis, and royal jelly.
Josie talked about the components of a hive, and displayed the different types of  ive frames available.
Being a beekeeper is an all year job, and its especially busy when they get the bees reqady for the manuka season when the trees are flowering.