The Buzz on Beekeeping

In “The Buzz on Beekeeping,” we talk to beekeeper Tanner Whalen from Moriah, New York about what it’s like to be a beekeeper. Tanner has been beekeeping for about two years now and talks to us about the differences between stinging insects, what bioindicators are, and how honey is made!

And check out this extra video of Tanner walking us through his beehive!


To learn more about bees, explore these great resources!

Why are the Bees Dying? – In this video from It’s Okay to Be Smart, learn why bees are important and the struggles they’re currently facing.

How Do Bees Make Honey? – Another video from It’s Okay to Be Smart, exploring how exactly bees make honey.

Be a Bee – In this lesson plan, students learn about the importance of honey bees (and other pollinating insects) and how they play a crucial roll in human survival.

SciGirls: Bee Haven – Join the SciGirls in learning about how to keep bees in an urban environment in this full episode.

The Waggle Dance Game– In this game from PBS Kids and Plum Landing, your kids will learn about how bees communicate with each other, and how to do the “waggle dance” yourselves!


How to Help the Bees

Honeybees have been facing numerous challenges in recent years. From habitat loss, to climate change, to pesticide use on farms. If you’re interested in helping the bees, consider looking at the following resources for ways you can help out!

The Adirondack Pollinator Project is a project led by AdkAction to help promote the health of pollinators in our ecosystem – right here in the Adirondacks! The project primarily focuses on planting more local wildflowers to help provide pollinators with more food sources.

The Lake Placid Land Conservancy is focused on monitoring land and water in Lake Placid and the Ausable and Saranac River Watersheds, and tracking how wildlife friendly those areas are. If you want to help out, they have a Conservation Monitoring Program that invites citizens to monitor their property for wildlife, invasive species, birds, and pollinators. For more ways to protect and restore pollinators, check out their list of ways you can help!

The Wild Center in Tupper Lake features a live honey bee hive exhibit as well as provides educational programs and gifts related to pollinators. The Wild Center uses only native plants on its grounds and features an abundant pollinator habitat.

From Beekeeper Tanner Whalen:
“As far as what everyday people can do to help bees… You can limit your pollution. You can limit your human impact on the environment. You can limit the amount of pesticides that you use even at home. So, those are smaller, simpler things that we might not think are directly related, but in fact they are.”