By Alana Mitchelson
BERWICK students have formed a beekeeping club to learn about the vital role of bees in the ecosystem.
St Margaret’s School’s beekeeping project was inspired by the discovery of a large hive nested inside the wall of the school’s main administration building.
St Margaret’s head of digital learning Chris Wyatt, who manages two hives at his Cockatoo property as a hobby, said he had convinced the school to relocate the hive, which was believed to have occupied the second-storey wall for almost four years, rather than exterminate it.
“In recent years St Margaret’s has become a popular place for bee colonies to call home. Numerous bees have been found building hives within chimneys and wall cavities across the campus,” Mr Wyatt said.
“Seeking an environmentally responsible solution to the problem of this wayward colony, the school enlisted the help of professional beekeeper Ben Moore to remove the colony and re-home them in a hive, to be properly managed and cared for into the future.
“The motivation behind this approach was to preserve the lives of these exceptionally important insects that play a vital role in the pollination of many of the fruits and vegetables grown in the school’s kitchen garden.“
The delicate extraction and relocation of the bees has presented the opportunity for students and staff to learn about the art of beekeeping.
Members of the club have accepted the responsibility to care for and appropriately manage the bee colony. They undertook inspections of the hive to ensure the new queen was laying and that colony numbers were increasing.
Year 12 student Nicky Zhou was one of the 20 students who have had the pleasure of visiting the hive.
“I really like that you get to learn about it by experiencing it in person, not out of a textbook,” she said.
“It takes away the stresses of Year 12 for a little while.
“Some of the girls were scared at the start but luckily we have a teacher who knows what he’s doing. He taught us how to keep calm and it has helped with their fears.
“I’d never get this opportunity outside of school. It’s so cool and great to learn something new. We also get to suit up in the protective gear which is really fun.”
Mr Wyatt said that residents should be wary of bees as “swarm season” begins.
“Some poorly managed and feral bee colonies may swarm and wind up in people’s walls,” he said.
“People should report swarms to a beekeeper so that they can be re-homed before causing any damage.”
