Beekeeping with Children
By Elizabeth Warner - Betterbee Sales & Community Engagement Manager, Educator, and Beekeeper
Beekeeping with Young Children and Student GroupsAs you become more comfortable around your bees, you may want to ask others into your apiary to share in the joy and wonder of beekeeping. Don't limit your invitations to adults only. This might surprise some of our readers, but it's true: Beekeeping can begin at any age! Individual children, like a family member or neighbor, can learn from various distances and at different levels of involvement. If you're looking to bring more customers to your property, consider adding an agritourism element and welcome family groups and youth organizations to your apiary. You can also help bring beekeeping into the classroom for teachers to satisfy Common Core standards. No matter the age group, it will be your job as a teacher or guardian to know your audience and bring them into the activity to the degree to which they can participate.
Each child develops at their own pace. You might have a three-year-old niece who is able to accompany you to remove VarroxSan strips, or you might have a 5th grade student who screams at the sight of any flying insect. Before bringing a child into your apiary, ask yourself these questions:
Can they keep a bee suit on for a period of time, even if it's hot, itchy, etc? Some children are particular about how clothing is worn, and they may feel compelled to remove their protective gear at the wrong time.
Are they able to be gentle? Young children often seek sensory input and might want to poke, squish, and shake things they shouldn't. This is all normal exploration, but it won't lead to a great experience around a beehive.
Cognitively, can they remember what to do if they get scared? Having an exit strategy is important, but it won't do any good if your apiary guests can't remember it in their moment of panic.
Are you ready? Remember, all of your apiary visitors will look to you for reassurances. New beekeepers can carry a significant amount of anxiety over getting stung, harming the colony, and knowing what to do next. If you are still nervous around your hives, your guests may sense your anxiety and block out any joy of the experience. Often, children cannot verbalize their fear, and you must be able to pick up on their body language to gauge the situation.
