Celebrating hard-working pollinators

Ahead of World Bee Day on 20 May, we wanted to give a shout out to the busy friends who keep our gardens growing. The day comes as the southern hemisphere enters its honey and bee-product harvesting season, and the northern hemisphere welcomes spring, where bees are hard at work pollinating new plant life.

Bees are vital to our planet. Without them, food security, biodiversity, and our ecosystems are at risk of failure. Through the Kitchen Garden Program, children and young people are learning the importance of bees to the natural environment.

Australia is home to around 1500 varieties of native bees, some of which are the only varieties able to pollinate specific native plants. 

Pollination is crucial to achieving food security as three out of four crops across the globe producing fruits or seeds for human consumptions as food depend, at least in part, on pollinators. – World Bee Day website

Kitchen Garden members have access to a hive of bee-related materials through the Shared Table, which has resources for early learning all the way through to year 12 students. These include how to build a native bee house and cook a delicious pumpkin and honey bread. Resources also cover the differences in bee types across Australia as well as the best flowers and plants to attract them to your garden.

These activities allow children to explore their surrounding environments through a new perspective. The activities and resources also provide another way children can hone their life skills, finding new cooking techniques, understanding how important bees have been to a wide variety of cultures, or discovering a new way to view the plants in their garden at home.

Materials gathered to build a native bee house 

 

Woodlinks State School in Queensland constructed their own small hive to attract native bees. Deb Farrell, the Kitchen Garden teacher says bees have been busy – collecting pollen from the flowers students have planted around the hive.

 

 

At Gorokan Public School, Kelly King brought in her own bee suit, smoker, and “various [other] items for beekeeping. The kids really enjoyed hearing about bees and beekeeping. Some kids said they could also wear this outfit when playing cricket!” 

 

Young beekeeper, Gorokan Public School

 

Where children and young people see the value in fostering a bee-friendly environment for the wellness of our planet, we can be assured of healthier food systems. Fun facts and activities, and especially the thrill of getting up close to these perfect pollinators, brings the theory alive and the community closer to the natural world. 

 

Members can find a hive of bee-related activities on the Shared Table.