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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.
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