Bees are Buzzing into NTFB Kids Camp
Students attending North Texas Food Bank’s third-annual Kids Camp will learn about the importance of pollination in food in addition to gaining an understanding of food insecurity.
There’s something new to buzz about at the North Texas Food Bank’s Kids Camp.
In partnership with Oak Cliff Bee Company, NTFB added a beehive to Jan’s Garden this spring. Now, campers will have the chance to visit with Master Beekeeper Shannon LaGrave and learn about the importance of bees and pollination when growing fruits and vegetables.
“Our interest is in teaching and training the next generation,” Shannon says, adding that she’ll be suited up in her professional beekeeping suit during Kids Camp. “We’ll be talking about the products bees make, why we need them for pollination, and they’ll get to see the higher-quality of bee-pollinated fruits and vegetables.”
It’s estimated that around a third of the world’s food supply depends on pollination, and when a piece of produce is not pollinated by bees, Shannon says, you can tell. They’re often lopsided and less flavorful. Having a hive in Jan’s Garden ensures the plethora of vegetables, leafy greens, berries and flowers being grown will have the chance for visits and pollination by bees.
And while Shannon knows the buzz of a hive can instigate fear, she also wants kids to learn that there’s no reason to be scared when observing bees from a distance.
“This is a stinging insect, so we don’t need to swat at it,” she explains. “We can observe or move away from it. It’s doing its job by pollinating flowers.”
Along with pollinating plants both in Jan’s Garden and within an around 2-mile radius of the garden, NTFB’s hive will also produce honey.
And that brings Shannon to what she describes as one of her most interesting Kids Camp fun facts: Bees can only make honey if they regurgitate the nectar they’ve gathered from flowers once they’re back in the hive.
“And each worker bee makes only 1/12th of a drop of honey,” Shannon says, adding that the color and flavor of honey depends largely on which plants bees visit to gather nectar.
Oak Cliff Bee Company, which specializes in corporate hive management, maintains the hive at NTFB, visiting regularly to ensure the queen and worker bees are thriving and that no pests or diseases have taken root.
“To me it’s like breathing,” says Shannon, who began beekeeping as a student in Collin County. “We’re looking for patterns and to make sure it’s functioning well
Oak Cliff Bee Co. Founder Chris Chance says they have hives at businesses and hotels throughout the area, all with the goal of promoting sustainability and raising awareness of the importance of bees in our ecosystem.
“We have to keep pollinators around if we want to keep producing citrus and nutritious food,” Chris says. “Every third bite of food is the result of a pollinator.”
Plus, adds, Shannon, bees are amazing. “They’re enlightening and joyful and we get to bring that to people,” she says.
Interested in having your child attend? Limited spots remain for Kids Camp, which is open to children ages 8-11 and takes place on select Mondays, June 2-August 4. Find out more here.
