Buzz over to Phipps Conservatory’s New Beehive

See how Pittsburgh’s newest bee colony is educating the next generation.
Courtney Linder,


photos courtesy of phipps conservatory and botanical gardens

 

The Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens hopes to generate a buzz with its new observational beehive, an up-close and personal look into the lives of the tiny, black and yellow workers.

The hive is a chance to educate visitors on the perils these pollinators face — in recent years, beekeepers have reported losing up to 30 percent of their honeybees each winter.

Inside the SEED classroom, adult education events and youth programming will be offered year-round.

 

Staff members will also collect data on what types of plants are blooming in the gardens where the bees collect nectar, how much time they spend on each plant and what times of day they are most active.

Phipps hopes its research will bolster nationwide research to save the bees.

The beehive will be available to the public between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. every Saturday  — no registration required.
 

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This article appears in the August 2016 issue of The 412.
Categories: The 412