Events Calendar
In This Section
Most Read Stories
Suitcase causes bomb scare at Akron bus terminal
Chapel Hill isn't rolling right along
Akron City Council OKs higher speed on I-77
New eateries expand menu of options
Motorcyclist killed, wife injured in Stark County crash
Man says he was punched, robbed by 3 people in parking lot
Patrick McManamon: Here's what the Browns should try the rest of the season
Family found dead in Ohio home
Blogs:
Pets:
It Takes All Kinds
The Heldenfiles:
Tuesday Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
An interesting thought from a reader
Akron Zips:
Akron vs. Mount Union — Liveblog
Tribe Matters:
Indians announce spring dates
Cleveland Browns:
Mangini doesn't name a quarterback
Kent State Sports:
Flashes interested in another Cincinnati player
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Cavs: Yeah, on That Issue of Privacy
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes Roll 100-60 / Season Outlook
Varsity Letters:
Report: Walsh baseball player commits
All Da King's Men:
More On The Fort Hood Jihadist
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Simply Incapable of Telling The Truth
Akron Law Café:
Health Care Financing Reform: (63) Commonwealth Fund Report on Primary Care
See Jane Style:
Muffle Your Muffler
Car Chase:
Clock Tender- Extending the Life of Collector Car Clocks
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Rumors: Akron Starbucks Closing
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Jack is looking for a trip to Southern Ohio the week of November 16.
Sound Check:
Aeromsith looking for new singer as Steven Tyler contemplates solo career
HRLite House:
Personal Rant – Why People Do Not Live in Northeast Ohio
Akron Gamer:
Video: 'Modern Warfare 2' hits the streets
Patrons can watch busy activity of observation hive from behind glass
By Mary Beth Breckenridge
Beacon Journal staff writer
Published on Wednesday, Oct 15, 2008
MEDINA: A few thousand bees clustered in frenzied activity inside the Medina Library, but none of the patrons seemed alarmed.
In fact, few even noticed.
That's because the bees were safely contained behind glass, residents of a tabletop observation hive in the library's children's room. It's a scaled-down version of a working hive, where honeybees live out their brief lives in an elaborate communal effort to ensure the survival of the species.
The wood and Plexiglas hive was added in May, a gift of the Medina Rotary Club. The Medina County Beekeepers Association populated the custom-built hive with 3 pounds of bees shipped from Italy, and member Kim Flottum, who edits the beekeeping magazine Bee Culture, tends it periodically.
The purpose of the observation hive is to teach children the importance of honeybees, said Marilyn Sobotincic, the children's department supervisor. The bees play a vital role in our ecology, beyond making wax and honey: They're the primary pollinators for many plants, including those that produce about a third of the food Americans eat.
The hive also raises awareness of colony collapse disorder, a mysterious ailment that threatens the honeybee population.
If the purpose of the hive is to teach, Jacob Icardi was an eager student.
Jacob pressed his ear to the hive's frame on a recent afternoon, listening to the buzz coming from inside. ''You can hear them flapping,'' he told Sobotincic.
The 9-year-old from Lafayette Township had his interest piqued when a swarm of 10,000 to 15,000 bees landed in his yard this summer, his mother, Laura Icardi, explained. Now he loves to check out the library's hive, watching the bees and searching for the lone queen.
Sobotincic said she got the idea for the observation hive after seeing one at Seiberling Nature Realm in Akron. After all, she reasoned, Medina is the perfect place. It's a center of bee culture, thanks to the efforts of businessman and beekeeping pioneer Amos Ives ''A.I.'' Root, and the high school's mascot is the Bees.
The hive is a literal window on the bees' world. Sheets of wax honeycomb, marked by rows of hexagonal cells, cling to wood frames sandwiched between two sheets of glass. Bees cluster in the bustling section that houses the queen, tending to her needs. Others busy themselves with tasks such as cleaning the cells, keeping the brood warm, feeding the babies or performing dances that signal to others where to find the pollen and nectar on which the bees feed.
A clear tube leads from the hive to an opening in the library's exterior wall, so bees can leave to forage for food and bring it back to the hive.
The beekeepers worked with the architects to position the opening in exactly the right place, Flottum said. A guard covers the entry, protecting it from pesticide sprays or other forms of human interference, and a nearby sign warns: ''No Spray Zone: Beehive Entrance.''
Plants that attract bees, such as asters, roses and goldenrod, have been added to the library's landscaping, Sobotincic said.
The hive's population will decline in winter, Flottum said, and activity will slow. When their usual food sources disappear, the bees will be fed a sugar-water solution, which they'll convert into a thick, honeylike substance that they'll store in the honeycomb cells to feed on until spring.
The hive has fascinated library patrons, Sobotincic said. Kids are often prompted to pick up the bee books shelved near the hive to learn more, and people of all ages — even teenagers — stop by to watch the activity.
You might say it's left the library abuzz.
Mary Beth Breckenridge can be reached at 330-996-3756 or mbrecken@thebeaconjournal.com.
MEDINA: A few thousand bees clustered in frenzied activity inside the Medina Library, but none of the patrons seemed alarmed.
Get the full article here.
Comments
Click here to post your comments
