Find the Queen!
Question: "Can you find the queen? She's in here with the worker bees and drones. The worker bees are the girls and the drones are the boys."
Chlld: "What does the queen look like? Is she wearing a crown?"
"No, she's wearing a number!"
Child:"I see her! There she is! I found her!"
Finding the queen bee in a bee observation hive is a fun, safe and educational experience. It's also pure excitement for young children--the thrill of the hunt, and the electrifying squeals of delight when they locate her. "I found the queen! I found the queen!"
Such was the case at the Vacaville Museum Guild's Children's Party, a Vacaville tradition since 1984. It's designed for children ages 3 to 9.
The UC Davis-based California Master Beekeeper Program (CAMBP) provided the glassed-in observation hive, smoker, and toy replicas of pests such as varroa mites and hive beetles. Staffing the three tables: Wendy Mather and Kian Nikzad, co-program managers of CAMBP; and CAMBP members Samantha Murray, education and garden coordinator of the UC Davis Bee Haven; and Rick Moehrke, a retired Vacaville teacher and a beekeeper working on his CAMBP master-level.
Nikzad and Moehrke held forth at the observation hive, discussing bees and answering questions at the event, held from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 7 in the Vacaville Museum Courtyard.
Kids who found the queen received a prize, which included honey straws donated by The Hive, Woodland, or stickers.
Bee scientist Elina Lastro Niño, professor of Cooperative Extension, Apiculture, is the founding director of CAMBP, which she launched in 2016. A member of the UC Davis Department of Entomology and Nematology faculty, she also directs the UC Davis Bee Haven, a half-acre bee friendly demonstration garden located next to the Harry H. Laidlaw Jr. Honey Bee Research Facility on Bee Biology Road, UC Davis and open from dawn to dusk.
CAMBP offers science-based information to educate stewards and ambassadors for honey bees and beekeeping. It provides "provide science-backed, practical training informed by the latest research and industry best practices." It'a train-the-trainer kind of program offering classes. Beekeepers can advance from the Apprentice level to the Journey and Master levels. If you're not a beekeeper, and just want to learn about bees--and help spread the word and maybe someday become a beekeeper--you can enroll in its Bee Ambassador program.
The Chlldren's Party included a petting zoo, games, face-painting, Mother Goose storytime, and lots of arts and crafts, plus lunch and snacks. Pam King chaired the Children's Party Committee , with Diana McLaughlin as co-chair, both for the second consecutive year.
Clara Dawson serves as the director of the Vacaville Museum, which is located at 213 Buck Ave.
