People of various ages and professions are involved
in beekeeping. The majority are amateur beekeepers with a small number
of hives, for whom managing bees is a leisure time activity. They learn
how to think and observe in the company of their winged friends,
they look forward to a high honey yield with them, and
they share their concern if a disease affects the hive. Especially because
of diseases, primarily the seemingly incurable varroatosis,
interest in beekeeping is decreasing among young people. Older
beekeepers are passing away and there are not enough young ones to fill the gaps in the beekeepers’ associations.
This
trend is typical of all European countries
In Slovenia, we are seeking to rejuvenate the beekeeping community by offering
school beekeeping classes, in which students
learn about beekeeping as part of their extracurricular activities.If at least
two out of ten students that attend theoretical and appliedbeekeeping lessons
during the school year become beekeepers
after they finish primary school, these classes will have
achieved their goal.
For all students at primary and secondary schools that do not provide beekeeping
classes, beekeeping camps can be organized at the Slovenian Beekeeping Center
at Brdo pri Lukovici,
based on an agreement with the Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association and the Beekeepers’
Advisory Service.
These camps are intended both for children with prior beekeeping
knowledge and those that are interested in beekeeping and are learning about
the subject for the first time. Participants are
briefly introduced to the history of Slovenian beekeeping in a
multimedia presentation by Franc Šivic; afterwards, they learn
about various beekeeping chores by participating in diverse activities.Under the mentorship of a beekeeper and an assistant,
children learn about the bee colony and beekeeping basics, find the queen in
a hive, and take a look at the brood and the honey
and pollen stocks.
In addition, they observe bees through glass in an observation hive; the observation
hive allows them to monitor the bees’ development and behavior. By talking with
the beekeeper, children
learn about the main principles of life in a bee colony, the dangers of working
with bees, how to protect themselves against
bee stings, how to treat possible injuries, and the importance of bees in agriculture.Finally,
they remove the combs from the hivewith the beekeeper’s assistance; later they
extract honey fromthese combs. They also learn how propolis and pollen are produced.
In the laboratory they observe the main physical characteristicsof the Carniolan
bee using a magnifying glass – that is,its head, tongue, and legs, which are
adapted for collecting pollen.The mentors also conduct a simple experiment, showing
thechildren how bees suck up sugar syrup. Because the laboratory’smain task is
to control the quality of honey, the participants usea refractometer to measure
the water content in honey and theyview a pollen pellet under a microscope. This
way they can clearlysee that each plant has differently shaped pollen grains,
whichhelps determine the type of honey. Alongside these activities,creative workshops
take place in which every child can make hisor her own candle or paint his or
her own beehive front.
At the end of the camp, there is a short quiz (1 or 2 questions oneach topic).The
Slovenian Beekeepers’ Association also hosts field trips forschools and preschools,
with programs adapted to the children’sages.
Based on practical presentations and active participation, children learn about
beekeeping and the lives of bees, and also becomeaware of the importance of natural
and cultural heritage.Of all these activities, children are the most excited
about visitingthe bee house, extracting honey, and making candles; however, most
of them usually have several favorites.
Naturally, we have not left out the youngest children at preschools.
We have created a special program for them called Our Friend, the Bee. It was
prepared by Anica Košir Kropivšek, a
special educator, teacher’s aide, and beekeeper with 22 years ofteaching and
10 years of beekeeping experience. She has successfullyincorporated beekeeping
into her teaching and thus learned about children’s reactions. The program lasts
at least
three days, but it has been developed so that teachers can discussa specific topic for longer periods on their own, without the
beekeeper’s assistance. It includes a short computer presentationon beekeeping with pictures and text, a visit by a beekeeper,
the creation and development of a specific beekeeping topic,and an exhibition of children’s products on this topic. Children
from other groups and parents also visit this exhibition.
The children have shown that they are extremely creative and that they see bees
not only as insects that sting and cause pain.
They learn about bees in a different manner, with completely differenteyes, and
also present them to their teachers and parentsin this way.
The program includes numerous beekeeping-related activities that provide teachers
limitless opportunities and give them free reign in selecting the material and
forms to carry them out. All the facts mentioned
in this brochure confirm that Sloveniansare truly a beekeeping nation. Everyone
that visits and gets toknow Slovenia discovers this. Visitors from both Slovenia
andabroad always appreciate our friendliness and hospitality whenwe welcome them
into our homes. Here the real value of theslogan mentioned at the beginning –
Tourism is people – showsitself.
The results of a survey conducted among our members are very interesting. We
found that children from beekeeping families, which are
usually well off, achieve above-average grades in
school and later on, after completing their education, they oftenassume important positions in politics, business, and culture.
Although many have not followed in their fathers’ footsteps to become beekeepers,
they confirm that their parents were their most important role models, teaching
them perseverance, modesty,diligence, and a love of nature and their homeland.
All of this demonstrates that beekeeping in Slovenia involves notonly the production of honey, but much more than that. It is a
way of life. |
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