THE QUEEN BEE

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FUN FACT FRIDAY : CREATING A BUZZ ABOUT BEEHIVES

Meriet Duncan

This Friday’s competition is learning all about a beehive.; how it’s made up and what the various components are used for. Watch the video above and then answer the following questions.

  1. What beehive am I working with in the video?

  2. How many components, including accessories, have I shown you?

  3. Why do we put our hives on stands?

  4. How many frames are there in a national brood box?

  5. What is the name of the piece of equipment that prevents the queen and drones from going up into the super?

  6. What is stored in the super?

  7. From where does the name super get its name?

  8. What is the name of the small piece of plastic that we use to allow the honeybees to go down but not return to the super?

  9. Why are the frames in a National beehive super half the size of those in the brood box?

  10. What’s my dogs’ name?

  11. Finally, and very importantly - a question with the answer! Did anyone spot my accidental mistake in the video when talking about the Varoa Board? I said “If you can count the bees that fall through the mesh on to the board then you are ok but if you can’t… etc”. I should, of course, have said “If you can count the Varoa mites NOT bees.”

WORK TOGETHER WITH YOUR CHILDREN TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS.

SEND THEM TO ME BY SIMPLY PRESSING contact AND PUTTING YOUR ANSWERS IN THE MESSAGE BOX OR VIA MY EMAIL meriet@mdthequeenbee.co.uk AND I WILL PRINT THE NAMES OF THE CORRECT ENTRIES, PUT THEM IN A HAT AND PICK OUT THE WINNER!

The winner will, of course, receive a signed copy of Betsie Valentine And The Honeybees!

I hope you are enjoying Fridays “CREATING A BUZZ ABOUT THE HONEYBEE” competitions and enjoying learning, together with your children, all about the honeybees!

Below are pictures of different beehives that people use and a brief description of each.

(a) Centenary - An 11 frame hive, taking British Standard National frames. Double walled front and back with an impressive porch and lapped gale roof *(www.thorne.co.uk)

(b) Commercial - A popular hive , often used with national supers to give the queen a bigger laying area. There is a 4mm difference overall in the external box sizes. *(beckybeesonlineshop.co.uk)

(c) Dadant - The original Dadant has 10 frames. The Buckfast Dadant is a 12 frame version that has a square body *(www.dave-cushman.net)

(d) Layens - A horizontal hive holding 20 large frames on one level. *(www.beeculture.com)

(e) National - British Standard National hive is the most commonly used beehive in the U.K., and Ireland. *(www.dave-cushman.net)

(f) Smith - Scottish origin and still popular there, being suited to coler weather and easily moved to the heather. A single walled hive, similar to the Langstroth but smaller. *(www.thehoneyshop.co.uk)

(g) Top bar - The oldest and most commonly used hive in the world. It features individual bars laid across the top of the hive cavity. *(Beebuilt.com)

(h) WBC - Double -skinned hive name after its inventor, William Broughton Carr. The inner boxes are broadly similar to the National hive but slightly narrower and made of thinner boards. It has a floor with short legs, usually splayed. *(en.wikibooks.org)

* These descriptions have been taken from the websites in brackets