Moderator: Mr. Jenson & Mrs. Dallacco

Contact: jjenson@stepinac.org,jdallacco@stepinac.org

Description: Honeybees are an integral part of the pollination system and responsible for successful seeding of more than 90% of all flowering plants. The beekeepers or apiologists will be starting from scratch building hives, learning about the bees themselves, the different species, and the social order of the bees. What time of year do the workers start to build up honey stores. Do they hibernate? When do we have a honey harvest? We will learn about the natural predators of bee hives and how to keep them out, managing food storage, managing the queen bee. The beekeeping club will be involved in the many various aspects of beekeeping, and as we get further into the process there will be ways to incorporate other academic disciplines – ex. Economics -Do we sell the honey that the bees produce? How do we market this if at all? Science-studying the biology and physiology of bees, including their anatomy, behavior, ecology, genetics, diseases, products, and management.