Honey Bee Education
Programs
6665 Otis Road SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52403
Phone (319)362-0664
email: naturecenter@aol.com
www.indiancreeknaturecenter.org
Hours
Monday-Friday - 9am-4pm Saturday - Call for Schedule
Honey bees and other native pollinators are essential
to a healthy planet. The Nature Center partners with area beekeepers
to provide a broad base of educational programs to promote an
understanding and appreciation of honeybees and their role in
nature. We offer programs and bee events for all ages and interests
from the beekeeping hobbyist to preschoolers.
Beginning Bee Keeping Classes
Eight session series designed for individuals
serious about starting a beekeeping hobby. Participants will go
through the annual cycle of beekeeping from establishing a hive
to harvesting and marketing honey. Class members are actively
involved in learning activities by working the hives at the Nature
Center. Classes begin in January. Call the Nature Center at (319)362-0664
for complete descriptions and dates.
Topics:
-The equipment and materials needed for beekeeping
-Bee behavior, diseases, installation of a package of bees
-Early care of bees and demonstration of installing bees into
a hive
-Early spring management techniques
-Hive management techniques before the honey flow
-Midsummer hive management, equipment needed for processing honey
and marketing your honey
-Processing honey and preparing the bees for winter
-Planning for the next season and management practices for early
spring
Fee: $40 series/ Nature Center Member $6/session
$70 series/Nonmember $12/session
Contact Indian Creek Nature Center for complete
session description or to register for classes (319)362-0664.
Programs for Children and School Groups
For Preschoolers
Busy Buzzing Bees Honey is a sweet treat that
the bees have worked all summer to make. Discover the intricate
community of a honeybee hive and all the ways bees help us!
For Elementary Age Students
Bee Business There is nothing busier than a beehive.
Join our naturalist for a visit to the Nature Center’s observation
hive to learn about life in the hive and the work of a beekeeper.
Search for the queen bee, the drones and the worker bees. Discover
the jobs of a worker bee, learn about the life cycle of a worker
bee from the time it emerges as an adult bee. Become a field bee
as you role play in the Worker Bee Game. Try on the beekeeper’s
clothing, explore the inside of a hive and visit the apiary. Try
a taste of our delicious prairie honey.
Programs can be scheduled for any group, either
youth or adult, by calling the Nature Center at least one week
in advance.
The Observation Hive
Visitors are welcome to visit the Nature Center’s indoor
observation hive and beekeeping exhibit any time during regular
business hours.
Honey and Bee-Related Products for Sale
The Nature Center’s Creekside Gift Shop sells “Prairie
Honey” and comb honey from the Center’s hives. Beeswax
candles, Burt’s Bees Products and other bee-related items
are available.
