The Acadia Parish 4-H Bee Club meets on the first Wednesday of each month, offering students hands-on activities to help educate them about how bees operate and benefit the environment.
In a recent meeting, students made candles for an upcoming fundraiser aimed at helping them purchase beekeeper suits. Goldie Keller, a member of the 4-H Bee Club, describes the experience as un-bee-lievable.
“It’s fun and super cool, we do a project almost every month. We get to get up and touch things, it’s not one of those sit-down-and-stare-at-the-screen-all-day situations. It’s a fun way to get into an environment if you want to—it’s not as dangerous as it sounds,” Keller said.
Keller explained that she has learned many things about bees so far.
“I always like learning about the hives themselves and how they cure themselves when they get sick. It’s always cool to see,” she added.
Rachel Clayton, a beekeeper who leads the 4-H Bee Club, notes that bees are considered livestock, and teaching students about bees helps extend agricultural knowledge within the community.
“My goal with the bee club is to teach them all about honeybees and how we can be stewards of nature and farm with our honeybees,” Clayton said.
Clayton also mentioned that because honeybees depend on one another, students are learning important life skills through working with the bees.
“What I think this helps kids learn about is community and giving because the honeybee gives its entire life—that’s what it does. That’s why they call them worker bees. They literally work till they die,” she explained.
Clayton hopes that others are inspired to create similar clubs in their own parishes. Clayton would also like to thank the Acadiana Beekeepers Association for supplies used in the 4-H Bee Club meetings.
For ways to join or donate you can visit www.lsuagcenter.com/acadia4h
