With the help of donors and groups like the East Texas and Henderson County Beekeepers Associations, our Arboretum has maintained a demonstration beehive on its grounds since about 2002.
Demonstration hives allow visitors to view the activities of honey bees as they work, providing access to both sides of the honeycomb — and to many of the hive’s quirks.
Janelle Cole, a founding member of the Henderson County Beekeepers Association, says that demonstration hives not only give the community access to something they might otherwise never get to see, they are just plain fun.
“We’ve been keeping bees for a long time now,” Cole says, “and I can still just sit and watch observation hives for hours.”
When visiting the ETABS hive, Cole recommends trying to spot the queen bee. Queens are differentiated from the rest of the hive by their elongated abdomen. A queen can lay as many as 1,500 eggs per day and live as long as one year.
Cole also suggests observing the hive’s behaviors and mannerisms.
“Different hives have different personalities,” she says. “Some bees are more housekeeping-oriented and some are not. ... It’s interesting to look for different tendencies like that.”
If larvae exist in the brood, it is also possible to observe bees hatching, which Cole describes as somewhat like watching a chick hatch.
Demonstration hives allow visitors to view the activities of honey bees as they work, providing access to both sides of the honeycomb — and to many of the hive’s quirks.
Janelle Cole, a founding member of the Henderson County Beekeepers Association, says that demonstration hives not only give the community access to something they might otherwise never get to see, they are just plain fun.
“We’ve been keeping bees for a long time now,” Cole says, “and I can still just sit and watch observation hives for hours.”
When visiting the ETABS hive, Cole recommends trying to spot the queen bee. Queens are differentiated from the rest of the hive by their elongated abdomen. A queen can lay as many as 1,500 eggs per day and live as long as one year.
Cole also suggests observing the hive’s behaviors and mannerisms.
“Different hives have different personalities,” she says. “Some bees are more housekeeping-oriented and some are not. ... It’s interesting to look for different tendencies like that.”
If larvae exist in the brood, it is also possible to observe bees hatching, which Cole describes as somewhat like watching a chick hatch.
