"Yeah, I like bees"
"Yeah, I like bees but my Mom, you know, is afraid"
This was a comment from a little girl I spoke to at the local Farmers Market in Skibbereen, where we have a stall and display a Top Bar Hive. I had asked her a question after seeing her looking at the hive and trying to sort out what it was, I gave her a flyer for our Natural Beekeeping for Children course and she was very pleased.
I feel it is very important to introduce beekeeping to children because it develops an understanding of the extremely important relationship between mankind and the natural world around us. A lot of people have created an illusion of separation and distance from things natural but its still there, just outside their door, or tap tap tapping on the window.
Creating an understanding of the natural systems that we depend on to survive, instills respect and consideration for all the many facets of nature that surround us.
Regards,
Max