“Most citizens today are three generations removed from the farm — they don’t know where their food comes from, and they don’t understand the importance of agriculture. . .” Stated John Campbell, director of Mississippi’s Bureau of Plant Industry at a national meeting of state departments of agriculture.

Basic beekeeping classes on “How Honeybee Sees - Not like you or me!” and “Honey-How is made and the different types of honey” presented at several different schools and programs in Eastern KY. Over 800 contacts school age students learn necessary basic beekeeping information. The average grade of the classes: fourth and fifth grades

In learning how honeybee vision works, the class had demonstrations with the aid of ultraviolet flashlight and flora on how bees see the flower. Students could see how the bee visualize each other and plant pollen. Essential information covered, such as honeybees do not see the color red. Red looks black to them for their vision is in ultraviolet colors. 

Students learn during this class how important pollen is to the plant and the honeybees. Pollen is an excellent protein source for honeybees and is necessary for fruit and vegetable production. Before the classes, 95% of the students never thought about pollen and the importance of pollen in nature. Through visualization, they could see where the pollen is colorful and how the plant draws the bee into the center in order to gather the pollen and nectar. Upon questing, 98% had never tasted pollen and 90% of the students did not like the taste of pollen after sampling.

With school-age students possible three generations from the farm, on average, 60 to 80% of the students had never tasted honey. After sampling, 90% loved the honey from the farm. The vast majority of students did not realize honey was available in different flavors based on the flora the honeybees are gathering nectar from. The consensus of the majority of classes was the honey taste best from the area in which they lived. They like it better than Orange Blossom honey, almond honey, buckwheat honey, and white clover honey. The honey most harvest from Eastern KY in the springtime is tulip poplar honey.

Honeybees are a remarkable primary insect needed for food production. With so many people exiting the farm, necessary information lost to school age students. What once was a staple product in the home is no longer so. However, after these classes, people see honeybees in a whole different light.

 Hembree, Brandon: (2012, March 30). At what cost the disconnect between agriculture and the public? Farm Progress. Retrieved from: https://www.farmprogress.com/blog/what-cost-disconnect-between-agriculture-and-public.