Exploring the Tireless Buzz of Waiblingen's Beehives
On a rainy August Sunday, the Alvarium Bee Information Center in Waiblingen, Germany, hosted an event in collaboration with the Swabian Alb Association, aiming to raise awareness about the importance of bees and their role in nature.
The event, which took place around the Alvarium in the Waiblingen valley, offered a variety of activities for attendees to learn about bees and beekeeping. Eleven-year-old Lars from Bissingen an der Teck even had the opportunity to assist in the honey extraction process.
The honey was spun out of the combs using a hand-operated honey extractor, ensuring that the combs remained undamaged. The structure of a beehive, consisting of a brood chamber for egg-laying and larvae growth and an upper part for honey storage, was explained to the guests.
Jörg Bonn and Brigitte Kranzer-Hamatschek from the Swabian Alb Association guided the event, while Fatih Aydin, chairman of the Waiblingen Beekeepers' Association, was present to share his expertise. Fatih Aydin also emphasized the difference between bees and wasps, explaining that wasps can be aggressive, unlike bees, whose female members are the only ones capable of stinging. Interestingly, the queen bee rarely stings.
Throughout the day, guests had the opportunity to observe honeybees at work and the flight activity at the nesting holes of wild bees. Bernhard Willi, bee expert and Alvarium representative at the Swabian Alb Association, highlighted the importance of providing food for bees and suggested that people can help by mowing less frequently or not at all.
The event concluded with guests making a good haul of honey from the upper part of the hive. Information days and special theme days are offered at the Alvarium from April to September, with dates available at www.imkerverein-waiblingen.de. The Alvarium Bee Information Center, opened in 2013, remains an ideal place to learn about bees and their importance to nature.
In light of the event, guests were encouraged to explore the benefits of home-and-garden practices, such as gardening, that can contribute to a bee-friendly lifestyle by providing food for bees and minimizing frequent mowing. Understanding the significance of a beehive's structure, with its separate chamber for bee larvae and honey storage, could inspire homeowners to create their own bee-friendly gardens.
