As summer ends and the back-to-school season starts up again, kids are continuing to grow and develop more responsibilities. If your child has shown an interest in the great outdoors from a young age, they may be interested in taking on beekeeping as a hobby. Beekeeping is no easy task, and although it offers countless benefits, it's important to approach the process correctly. Here are a few tips to consider when introducing your child to beekeeping.

Understand Apprehension

First, it's important to be aware that even though children may be fascinated by the bees themselves, there's a good chance they're still nervous about the stingers. Honey bees can fly up to 15 miles per hour, and it's perfectly reasonable for children to fear getting stung. Don't ever be too aggressive or pushy when it comes to assigning specific jobs, participating in demonstrations, and overall beekeeping maintenance.

Suit Up With Beekeeping Equipment

Next, beekeepers should make sure their children are fully protected when near the hives. Beekeeping gloves and hats are highly recommended for beginners of any age. As children learn more about bees' habits and the way they make raw organic honey, they may start to feel comfortable without these beekeeping tools.

Know Sting Safety

This is especially critical if your child has never been stung before and therefore may have an unknown allergy. In the event of an emergency, an Epinephrine Auto Injector or EpiPen may prevent a trip to the emergency room. However, severe bee-sting allergies almost always develop over time as opposed to all at once, so make sure you have other general sting remedies and topic ointments available on hand.

Employ With Purpose

Finally, make sure to assign jobs ahead of time and with purpose. For example, you don't want to assign the duties of using a bee hive smoker to an absolute beginner. Instead, break up larger tasks into smaller tasks and assign accordingly. Of course, if you're working with children in smaller groups or in a one-on-one setting, demonstrations and interactions will most likely be the primary learning method.

Ultimately, many children love interacting with bees once they get to know them and feel comfortable with them. Still, it's important to take the initial introduction process slowly and carefully. For more information about bee hive smokers, contact Glorybee.