I Have Small Children, Can I Still Keep Honeybees?
Many people have this concern. There is only one way I am able to answer this question and that is to tell you about my children. I have two children currently living at home, Courtney who is now eleven and Christopher who is now five. I have eight hives on my three acre property in Carmel. I placed honeybees on my property when Courtney was seven years old and Christopher was one year old. So far, neither of my children has ever been stung by a honeybee.
Courtney at age ten holding a frame of bees from “her own hive”
Courtney was very curious about the bees from the very outset of the idea of hav-
ing bees. She helped with the construction of the many hive parts and anxiously an-
ticipated the arrival date of the bees. She has been a big help from the very start. As part of the process of having bees, she has learned much about how nature works and how an insect such as a bee really lives a very complex and socially structured life. (In a bees world every action a bee takes is done for the colony and for the survival of the species.) Now that I am sixty plus years old, my eyesight is not what it used to be and as a beekeeper it is essential that I can see honeybee eggs and find the queen bee in every hive from time to time. One of the best ways Courtney helps me is that she has become my eyes in these particular circumstances.
Christopher at age four standing in a flying swarm May, 2014 observing a truly amazing sight of nature
Christopher was very young when I placed bees on the property so I did not have much expectation as to how he would react. Surprisingly he listened very care-fully and learned quickly not to come too close to the bee hives without supervision. During the ensuing years he has become quite educated concerning the developmental life stages of the honeybee, the caste of the honeybee, and the jobs each honeybee passes through as it ages. A defining moment with Christopher occurred in 2014 when I spotted a full scale swarm issuing from one of my hives. Christopher thought that was the coolest thing ever and from that point on he has been even more fascinated with the honeybee. Christopher now helps me assemble any woodenware needed because the bees are going to live in it or on it. He has a lot of fun.
There are not many better ways to educate your children regarding the dependence humans have on the honeybee and other pollinators. My children have learned much about nature and the natural order of things. They have learned about the remarkable skill sets that are innate in honeybees. They have learned about having respect for the environment and all of nature.
During the last few years, not only have I learned much about honeybees, I have learned much about my children, too. They can overcome fear, they can learn about nature from something other than a book, they can help, each in a different way. Keeping bees with small children has been great for me. Hopefully, it would be something you can enjoy, too.
Ensuring your children’s safety around honeybees means you take every necessary precaution to protect them from getting stung. This will require a full body sting proof suit, gloves, and a hat with a veil. You must also exercise good judgement when working the bees with your children around.
Of course they can learn to enjoy it and may not need any protection as my fellow beekeeper Matt shows here.