This is where Steinmühlen honey is made: well protected near the beehive

The fact that the Steinmühle also has bees and offers its own honey was already on display at last fall’s festival. As part of a collaborative project, elementary school students from the Erich Kästner School in Cappel were able to explore the topic in even greater depth. Equipped with beekeeping suits, the girls and boys not only learned details about the bees’ proverbial industriousness but were also able to see for themselves the results of their hard work.

Dr. Sven Freibert teaches math and biology at Steinmühle. With the help of his colleague Niklas Berthold from the Steinmühle bee team, he aimed to introduce the children from the neighboring school to the buzzing little colony on the Steinmühle grounds. Bee expert Dr. Sven Freibert found the students to be very well-informed: “We started by talking a bit about the ecology and life of bees. Since the children had just covered the topic of ‘bees’ in class, we were able to move right into hands-on activities.”

 

About Worker Bees, Drones, and Queen Cells

We started off with a “dry” specimen—that is, a beehive. “Using it as a model, we discussed the structure—the movable floor with the entrance, the honey chamber, the brood chamber, and the lid—and learned about their individual functions, including the technical terms.”

To get a closer look, five children at a time were then allowed to put on the beekeeping suits—what an exciting experience! Dr. Sven Freibert: “We then took this group over to the ‘inhabited’ hives and observed the bees’ lives up close. We saw worker bees, drones, queen cells with their surrounding area, and honeycombs filled with honey.” Fortunately, according to the Steinmühlen teacher, no child was stung during these observations.

 

“It was a wonderful day”

 

The group reported at the end that a honey tasting had actually been planned afterward, but unfortunately could not take place due to time constraints. Maybe there will be a next time? Anna Zwickenpflug, a teacher at the Erich Kästner School, noticed that her students were very enthusiastic about the visit to the Steinmühle and raved, “It was a wonderful day with the bees.”