LAS Honeybee Hive Harvest

Did you know we've got some sweet honeybee hives on campus? 

LAS works together with local beekeepers to maintain six beehives—three near Belle Epoque, and three near Beau Site. Not only do these neat little habitats provide us with our own LAS-branded honey, they are a great way for our students to participate in some fun, interactive learning!

The beekeepers visit the LAS hives 15 times a year to check on colony health, medicate struggling hives, and, of course, harvest honey! During this time, staff members are welcome to bring their students to watch the process, and learn firsthand about habitats, declining bee populations, and the effect climate change has. 

When the beekeepers visited LAS this August, they walked us through their process from beginning to end. They showed us the signs of a healthy colony (a healthy queen, busy hive, and lots of honey production), and explained what might lead to poor hive health (less foliage and flowers, poor weather conditions, or a sick queen); they pointed out the different types of bees and their telltale signs (worker bees, drones, and queens), and showed us the unique "dance" bees do to instruct other bees on where to find good flowers; next they medicated one of the struggling hives and moved the queen bee over to encourage colony growth. Lastly, we ended the session with a sampling of honey straight from the comb!

We are so lucky to have the space and environment to host these cool insects! Take a look at some of the photos from the beekeepers' most recent visit below!