Handbook of Nature-Study · Lesson CV · Topic 16: Wasps and bees
105. The industries of the hive
Goal: Your child can describe the jobs done inside a hive: building comb, storing honey and bee-bread, feeding the young, cleaning, fanning and sealing cracks.
You'll need
- A visit to an observation hive (some nature centers, museums, libraries and farms have one), or a beekeeper's frame of comb
- A section of comb honey
- A nature notebook and a pencil (colored pencils if you have them)
What's in the book
Comstock's story of the hive: the brood chamber and the supers, frames, the bees' habit of keeping brood below and honey above, and wax-making. Lesson CV gives the leading thought, a method that is a demonstration and informal talk, directions for a schoolroom observation hive with glass sides (and 1911 prices), and twenty-two questions.
The lesson, step by step
When and where
Spring through early fall, when bees are busy. Comstock says this lesson "should be in the nature of a demonstration" and "an informal talk between teacher and pupils." Look up a nature center or museum near you with a glass observation hive, or ask a beekeeper to show you a frame.
Safety first
At an outdoor hive, follow the beekeeper's rules and wear a veil. Sting safety: watch bees and wasps from a few steps away, move slowly, and never swat at them. If anyone in the family is allergic to stings, keep well back and have their medicine with you.
Keep the big idea in mind
Comstock's "leading thought" is the one idea the lesson is meant to lead to. Read it to yourself now, and save it to share at the end, after your child has looked and answered:
In the hive are carried on the industries of wax-making, building of honey-comb, storing of honey and bee-bread, caring for the young, keeping the hive clean and ventilated and calking all crevices with bee glue.
The house
What is the hive, and what do wild bees use instead of the hive?
Comstock's story says wild bees usually live in hollow trees or in caves.
Watch the workers
At the glass, pick one bee and follow her.
How does the bee act when storing honey in a cell?
How does a bee place pollen in a cell and pack it into bee-bread?
Describe how the nurse bees feed the young, and how the young look when eating.
Keeping house
How do the bee workers keep their house clean?
Describe the actions of the bees when they are ventilating the hive.
On a hot day, look at the hive entrance for bees standing still and fanning their wings hard.
Put it into words
Ask your child to list every job they saw a bee do. Then read the leading thought aloud and check it against the list.
Nature notebook
Draw a frame of comb and color the parts: capped honey near the top, cells of colored pollen (bee-bread), and capped brood. Label one bee doing each job you saw.
Tip
What we know now: bees also "dance" on the comb to tell each other the direction and distance of good flowers. A scientist named Karl von Frisch worked out the meaning of the dance after Comstock's book was written. Watch for it in an observation hive.