6th Annual Honey Bee Experience Coming To Farmingdale Park
The 6th Annual Honey Bee Experience is scheduled for Sunday at Pinelawn Memorial Park and Arboretum, according to a news release. The park is at 2030 Wellwood Ave., Farmingdale.
The event has three sessions: 10 to 11 a.m.; noon to 1 p.m.; and 2 to 3 p.m.
The event aims to educate the community about the essential role of honey bees in the environment. The free event offers attendees of all ages the opportunity to observe the endangered insects up close, in a "safe and engaging setting," according to Pinelawn Memorial Park and Arboretum.
Pinelawn has had a Honey Bee Hive Program since 2017, dedicated to supporting the honey bee population and promoting pollination by maintaining five honeybee hives that are home to over 500K bees. More than 315 community members are expected to attend this educational event, according to the park. Day one is open to the public, and day two will invite 115 Girl Scouts to attend.
Master Beekeeper Steve Chen will lead the event, offering an in-depth Q&A session and a hands-on learning experience.
The event will feature educational activities for children including honey bee-themed arts and crafts and a "Find the Queen" activity, where participants can search for the queen bee within an observation hive. Attendees will learn the difference between yellow jackets and honey bees, have the chance to taste fresh honey directly from the combs, and test their knowledge in a trivia game at the conclusion of each session, with a jar of honey awarded as the prize.
"Honey bees are vital to the health of our ecosystem," said Justin Locke, president of Pinelawn Memorial Park and Arboretum, in a news release. "Our beautiful grounds here at Pinelawn benefit so greatly from the honey bees we have onsite who pollinate our trees and facilitate wildlife. Yet what many don’t realize is that honey bees are facing increasing threats. By hosting events like the Honey Bee Experience, we aim to raise awareness and foster a deeper understanding of these incredible creatures. Our goal is to inspire our community to take small, meaningful actions that contribute to the preservation of honeybees and the environment they help sustain."
The park shared some honey bee fun facts:
- The honey bee is the only insect that produces food consumed by humans.
- A single hive can house between 40K to 80K honeybees.
- These incredible pollinators can fly up to 5 miles at speeds of 15-20 miles per hour.
- During a single foraging trip, a honey bee may visit between 50 to 100 flowers.
Honey bees, many wild native bees, and other pollinators are in decline, according to the park. Some beekeepers have reported annual hive losses of 30 percent or more because of many causes, including viruses, pesticide use, habitat loss, and climate change.
To further support the honeybee population, Pinelawn is offering 100 percent raw honey, harvested directly from its own hives, during the event.
For more information about Pinelawn’s 2024 calendar of events, all of which are free and open to the public, click here.
