Local 4-H Beekeeping Club Teaches Kids About Impact of Honeybees in Our Lives

BEElievers: two teens learning about bee keeping

Getting involved in 4-H teaches youth a multitude of life skills. Thanks to the Kellogg Youth Fund, Isabella County was able to start a 4-H beekeeping club called the BEElievers. The purpose of the club is to introduce youth to the issues that are impacting the honeybee population, deliver hands-on learning of beekeeping techniques, and to provide a greater understanding of entrepreneurial opportunities regarding the sale of honey and hive products.

Creating a label and learning what goes into the bottling and marketing of honey are vital to the sustainability of this club. The club sells the honey predominantly at the Isabella County Youth and Farm Fair in the Still Exhibit barn. During their first year at the fair, the club made over $700 in sales.

In the first year, approximately 10 youths participated regularly in the club. As the program grew, more youth, and adults helping youth, attended meetings and participated in the honey extracting process.

Teens taking part in bee removal

Participants in 4-H are four times more likely to give back to their communities, according to a Tufts University research study. The study also found that 4-H participants are also twice as likely to make healthy choices and to participate in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) activities.