The Honeybee Project

Few people are aware of the vast importance of the honeybee to our everyday lives. While most think of honey, it is estimated that thirty-three percent of everything that reaches the American table owes a debt to the honeybee.  Over 90 fruits and vegetables including apples, melons, nut crops, cherries, berries, and avocados as well as alfalfa and clover seed for cattle feed are dependent upon honeybee pollination.  The national economic impact is close to $15 billion.

Honeybees are in a crisis.  During the past twenty years, populations have declined worldwide with U.S. populations declining by approximately fifty percent. Imported and pesticide-resistant pests, shrinking habitat, and diseases have devastated the honeybee despite the best efforts of beekeepers.  Farmers that have traditionally relied on both wild and domestic honeybees to pollinate orchards and fields are now dependent on the managed hives of beekeepers to successfully pollinate their crops.  One way or another, the plight of the honeybee hits us both in our everyday lives and in our pocketbooks.

A year ago, Debra Roberts, a documentary film producer specializing in children’s educational projects became an apprentice beekeeper and fell in love with the honeybee.  Through her conversations with beekeepers, elementary school teachers, presidents of state and regional bee associations, university professors, and staff at natural science museums, she discovered that although there were plenty of adult books and videos on the honeybee, there is a significant lack of comprehensive educational materials on this subject for elementary school children.  All agreed the need exists for educational materials about the honeybee. Why children’s education and the honeybee?  Because both children and the honeybees need help.  

UNICEF recently released a report on the well-being of children in 21 industrialized nations.  The United States ranked at the bottom.  As a children’s educational project designed to raise awareness and engage children in the world they live in, The Honeybee Project is making a difference.  We are producing educational DVDs, CDs, Teachers’ Resource Guides and classroom workbooks, all targeted at children from kindergarten through sixth grade (K-6).  In addition, we are designing and creating a nationally traveling museum exhibition with our partner, The North Carolina Arboretum, that will engage adults and children alike. These materials will be available to schools, libraries, museums, 4H clubs, agricultural extension offices, bee clubs and associations, zoos, PBS and other educational television stations, and any children’s educational entity that might benefit from them. 

Our goals are to educate, raise awareness, and demystify the honeybee for children while helping them form a connection to nature.  The sustainability of the world we live in will be determined by what we do now with the young people growing up. If children can understand the importance of the bees and how bees work together, this understanding can potentially deepen their connection and relationship with their community and the world around them.

For more information, call (828) 712-0880 or contact us at info@thehoneybeeproject.com.
The Honeybee Project is now seeking your help. Every dollar makes a difference.

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