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Life on the farm: Honey bees

Ages 9–18 | 8:45 AM–2:00 PM | $250 Per Participant

Step inside the fascinating world of the honey bee for an immersive Farm School experience that takes students from colony to honey jar.

Students will explore the honey bee as both an individual organism and a member of a highly organized colony, studying bee anatomy, behavior, communication, pollination, and the distinct roles of the queen, drones, and worker bees. Then we'll take that learning into the apiary, where students will don protective veils and observe a working honey bee colony alongside experienced adult beekeepers.

Students will follow the honey harvest from the hive through extraction—observing frames and comb, learning how beekeepers determine when honey is ready to harvest, helping uncap honeycomb, operating a honey extractor, and bottling honey from the farm.

Throughout the day, science is paired with observation and creative work. Students will construct a three-dimensional model of honey bee anatomy and complete a guided brush-drawing study, reinforcing what they've discovered through careful observation.

Each student will leave with a Farm School T-shirt and a 4-ounce jar of honey, along with a much deeper understanding of one of agriculture's most remarkable pollinators.

Invoices can be paid using Hope Scholarship or PayPal.

  • At a Glance

    • Ages: 9–18

    • Time: 8:45 AM–2:00 PM

    • Location: Buckland Family Farm, Flat Top, WV

    • Study queen, drone, and worker bees and their roles within the colony

    • Explore honey bee anatomy, life cycles, behavior, and communication

    • Investigate the relationship between flowers, pollination, bees, agriculture, and food production

    • Wear a protective bee veil and observe a working honey bee colony

    • Examine frames, comb, brood, pollen, nectar, and honey as available within the hive

    • Learn how beekeepers care for and manage a colony

    • Participate in the honey-harvesting and extraction process

    • Uncap honeycomb and help operate a honey extractor

    • Bottle a 4-ounce jar of farm honey to take home

    • Create a 3-D anatomical model of a honey bee

    • Complete a guided brush-drawing/nature study

    • Receive a Farm School T-shirt

    • Intentionally limited enrollment for meaningful hands-on participation

    Live-hive activities are dependent upon weather, colony conditions, and instructor assessment on the day of the program.