Page 28 - Kids and Bees Resource Booklet_SP_Neat

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Although we usually think of pests as being small and creepy-crawly, pests are anything that predates on your
hive. Below are a few critters to watch out for, to keep your bees safe, and in a good mood around kids.

 Bears: they love honey, pollen, brood, and I’ve even had them eat my colony’s beeswax! They can cause mas-
sive and expensive damage. If you live in bear country, invest in an electric fence, even before you get your
hives.
 Skunks and raccoons: they love to swipe bees and brood out of the front of the hive. You might not even no-
tice they are doing it, but the bees will. They will get incredibly grumpy and defensive. To avoid these night-
time terrors, put your hives up on a stand. About 18” will do the trick. When the varmints reach up to nab
bees, the guard bees sting them in the exposed underbelly. The nocturnal furry ones usually won’t return.
 Wax moth: Wax moth larvae love old wax. They can make a web and worm-filled mess out of your equip-
ment in no time. To keep them out of your living hives, keep your colonies strong and quick to defend them-
selves. Also rotate out old, dark comb. To keep them out of your stored equipment, expose your frames to
light and air, or keep them in a moth-proof container or room.
 Varroa: Varroa mites are the most common and most detrimental pest that bees and beekeepers have to bat-
tle with. Varroa mites not only chew on the bees’ exoskeletons and physically harm them, they also vector
nearly two dozen diseases and viruses. The good news is, there are plenty of both conventional and organic
methods to keep your Varroa mites in check. Visit www.honeybeehealthcoalition.org/varroa for the latest
guides to keep your bees healthy.

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Pesticides, parasites, pathogens, oh my!! If this all seems a bit much to be taking on, not to worry! There are alternatives to
keeping honey bee hives on campus. If you are passionate about teaching your students in a “living” lab, but don’t have the
resources (time, money, space, knowledge, administrative support) to start an apiary, I have two ideas for you.

Mason bees are an inexpensive and docile solitary bee that can be easily kept on campus. These bees are
metallic green or blue, and sometimes sport a white mohawk on their head! They are solitary bees, and use

mud to make compartments in their nests, which are in hollow reeds or holes in wood. You can even easily
build your own nesting block for them! Because they are solitary, and don’t have a large family to protect,
they rarely to never sting.

These bees are native to North America, and can tolerate a wide range of temperatures. They typically emerge in late winter
or early spring, and go dormant in late spring (usually before the students are out for summer break). You simply buy a
handful of cocoons from a distributor (see www.crownbees.com or your local farm, garden, or nature shop) then put them
near your nesting block, and watch the magic happen!

Squash bees are even easier to host. Just use the mantra, “if you build it, they will come.” Squash bees

are another wide-spread bee, native to North America. Squash bees look very similar to honey bees,
but have longer antennae and a flatter abdomen. They, however, nest individually in the ground - not
in a colony within a hive. To host and observe squash bees you just need two things: squash flowers
(the favorites are zucchini and butternut) and bare soil (free of herbicides and pesticides). Build a lit-
tle garden box, or dig up a corner in the school yard, plant your seeds, then watch and wait! Once the flowers open, they will
attract female bees looking for nectar and pollen, and male bees looking for females. The males wake up at sunrise (with the
flowers) and zoom quickly from one blossom to the next. By midday the flowers close and wilt, with the males inside! The
females disappear in their nests underground. This is a great summer camp opportunity, as summer is when squash bees are
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