My Big Helper is a new beekeeper, and although our bee class was incredibly detailed, we’re finding that there is still much to learn. We decided to take a field trip to the Bayer CropScience Bee Research Center in RTP to find out more about what’s new in the world of bees.
Bayer’s bee communication specialist, Sarah, gave us several minutes to explore the center before beginning. The space is open and bright, full of hands-on displays with lots to see. Some of the information is basic to bee life, while other videos communicate facts about more complex research, such as how to combat varroa mites.
To one side of this space is the research lab itself. A large glass window allows viewers to watch scientists at work. On this day, she was testing bees for the presence of nosema, a particularly unpleasant bee disease.
We enjoyed visiting various displays as a group. Sarah gave us the opportunity to ask questions and to engage with different information, before … 
we headed outside to a screened-in porch next to a hive. Sarah geared up and opened the hive, talking through what she was doing and showing us the various things she found inside. The hive had recently lost its queen, and so there were even queen cells to see.
At this point the formal tour was over. We returned inside to explore certain displays further and to question the scientist, who was now available and had fascinating information to share. After that we headed outside to wander through the pollinator garden adjacent to the research center. The flowers were beautiful!
The Bayer CropScience Bee Research Center gives tours several times each week. You must be 8 years old to visit and sign up in advance – but it’s well worth the time and effort. Check it out and find out how you can help the bees.
For more bee information for kids, check out these resources:
This is great! My brother-in-law is a beekeeper and we have helped him with harvesting of honey, pressing the honey comb, and swarms. Its a great learning experience. We owe many foods to these wondrous creatures! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Aren’t bees fascinating? 🙂
Fascinating! I’ve always been a little scared of bees. I just recently got stung by one while driving. :/ But I bet my kids would enjoy a trip like that. We drive pass local hives all the time, I wonder if the keeper would be willing to talk to our homeschool group?
It can definitely be a bit scary to be close to an animal that you know might hurt you, but most honeybees are actually pretty calm! There are some neat ‘insider’ tip to prevent and to minimize sting reaction, too, that is very cool to learn. Many beekeepers are happy to talk to kids. It’s worth a try! You might contact your local beekeepers’ or agricultural extension agent for other resources, too. We have several exhibition hives near us that also make for fun learning experiences.