What’s the Buzz? Cluster Course Students Spread the Buzz About Backyard Beekeeping

What's the BUZZ?

Cluster course students spread the buzz about backyard beekeeping

By ELIZABETH FONTAINE HILDEBRAND '92

Watching a honeybee perched atop a flower gathering nectar and pollen, have you ever W given much thought to the essential role the insect plays in the delicate balance of the earth’s ecosystem?

The educators leading this fall's Buzzfeed cluster course hope their students will.

The educational experience, open to students in all majors, aims to awaken students’ understanding of the natural world and backyard ecosystems—and share their knowledge with others.

Taught by Dr. Patrick Krantz, associate professor of environmental science and director of the Westminster’s Outdoor Laboratory, and Bradley Weaver, lecturer of broadcast communication, Buzzfeed “cross-pollinates” the courses Concepts of Environmental Science and Digital Media Essentials. From the environmental science side, students get an up close and personal look at honeybees and their backyard bee habitats, behaviors and ecological relationships. The digital media angle requires the

newly minted citizen scientists to morph into citizen journalists by taking what they’ve learned to social media to educate and inform.

Buzzfeed environmental science lectures and lab sessions are augmented with hands-on field experiences at the College apiary, nestled in an open field beyond the Field Station on Fayette-New Wilmington Road. The apiary features 30 box hives, each replete with one queen and about 74,999 worker and drone bees (that’s more than 2 million bees!).

Students are discovering how bee colonies are vital contributors to the health of the environment while learning the basics of backyard beekeeping.

Students first learn how to identify the queen, worker and drone bees and understand the very specific roles each bee plays in their nests. Then students can move on to tracking and documenting bee behavior, collecting data, monitoring and managing hives and the broods, identifying threats to bee colonies, and, of course, learning how to harvest the bees’ sweetest gift: honey. As the colder weather begins to set in and bees retreat to their fortresses, the course shifts its focus to other backyard wonders including plant and bird species. Using their phones and social media accounts, students are helping “spread the buzz” by documenting and telling the stories of their experiences in the course and at the apiary. Original content is posted to platforms such as Instagram and TikTok in order to inform, teach, entertain and motivate (search WCbuzzfeed on both sites). “Over an arc of the semester, social media users can follow our students on TikTok or Instagram and see microbursts of what they're doing and experiencing—and see how they have grown as beginning beekeepers, forest bathers or beginning birders," said Weaver, adding that while it’s "different from doing just traditional news,” students are still learning to conduct interviews and create content to share with the world.

Andrew Perry, a junior computer science major from New

Castle, says he selected this Buzzfeed course for an opportunity to learn more about Westminster’s natural surroundings—and it hasn’t disappointed. In fact, the experiential learning aspect of the course has given him a deeper understanding—and appreciation—of the four-winged creatures.

“This class allows you to get outside and be hands-on with what you are learning about,” he said. “We actually have the opportunity to put our lessons into practice.” S

BEE solution the

When a bee pollinates a plant, it’s the first step in building a thriving ecosystem that supports all life on earth. What role can you play to "bee" better?

1. Plant a bee garden with bee friendly flowers and herbs

By planting a bee garden, you can create a habitat corridor with plants that are rich in pollen and nectar. 2. Go chemical-free for bees

Synthetic pesticides, fertilizers and herbicides are harmful to bees. Instead opt for natural organic products. 3. Create a bee bath

Bees work up quite a thirst foraging and collecting nectar.

Fill a shallow bird bath or bowl with clean water and stones—a perfect spot for a long, refreshing drink. 4. Provide trees for bees

Bees get most of their nectar from trees. When a tree blooms, it provides hundreds— if not thousands—of blossoms to feed from. Trees are not only a great food source for bees, but also an essential habitat.

~ The Bee Conservancy