Kids are abuzz with activities to help save crucial honeybees

Bees feed on nectar and protein-rich pollen from flowering plants, but attracting bees to his Reston, Virginia, home wasn’t an option for J.P. Mackey, 12. His dad is allergic to bee stings, so J.P. and his mom have been growing native vegetables and flowers in a nearby community garden. Sitting on a tree stump, observing bees pollinating cucumber plants, J.P. said, “We wouldn’t have food without them.”

Since December, J.P. also has raised more than $2,700 for Heifer International by creating and selling “bee bracelets.” Heifer is a charity that helps low-income people become more self-sufficient. J.P.‘s family pays for his craft expenses, so 100% of each $30 bracelet sold at BumbleBracelets.com provides a beehive and training for a small-scale farmer, allowing them to increase crop production and earn extra money from honey sales.

Working with honeybees allows kids to study bees up close, often sparking curiosity about other bees.

Years ago, Maia Timm invented the term “bug-studyologist” when asked what she wanted to be. Now 12, Maia is raising honeybees in her Centreville,

Virginia, backyard. Wearing protective clothing, she periodically opens hives, pulling out each frame to check on bee health and honey production.

As she works, Maia explains honeybee terms. “Royal jelly” is a protein secreted by young worker bees to feed developing bee larvae. The hive’s queen “bee bread” is protein-rich pollen mixed with honey and bee

‘If their host preferred plant disappears, these pollenspecialist bees will likely go extinct, as well.’ Bryan Danforth, wild-bee specialist and entomology professor

saliva and feeds the whole colony.

Cornell University researchers found honeybees will go to almost any host plant for pollen and nectar, while other bees can be highly specialized, visiting just a single plant species.

“If their preferred host plant disappears, these pollen-specialist bees will likely go extinct, as well,” says Bryan Danforth in a Cornell online article. Danforth is a wild-bee specialist and entomology professor.

Kids don’t need to raise bees to join the effort to stop this from happening. Do research, and create a diverse bee-friendly habitat with native flower-producing plants that bloom in different seasons. By helping bees, you also help everyone enjoy fruits and vegetables for years to come.

ANN CAMERON SIEGAL / WASHINGTON POST Since December, J.P. Mackey has raised more than $2,700 for Heifer International by creating and selling “bee bracelets.”