Saving the Bees!

In recent years St Margaret’s Senior School has become a popular place for bee colonies to call home. Numerous have been found building hives within chimneys and wall cavities across the campus. One such hive had occupied the 2nd story wall of the Kippenross building for almost 4 years and is believed to have been the cause of all of the other swarms which have settled around the area. Seeking an environmentally responsible solution to the problem of this wayward colony the school enlisted the help of professional beekeeper Ben Moore from Ben’s Bees to remove the colony and re-home them in a hive to be properly managed and cared for into the future.

On March 19, after very careful planning and preparation Ben and I undertook the delicate extraction of the hive from the inside of the building. The motivation behind this approach was to preserve the lives of these exceptionally important insects who play a vital role in the pollination of many of the fruits and vegetables grown in the school’s new kitchen garden. The whole process took several hours to complete and the result has been very positive as the colony rebuilds and regains strength. The hive will soon return to the campus where it will be placed in a new location safely away from school traffic.

This will present an exciting and somewhat unique opportunity for the girls and staff of St Margaret’s Senior School to learn about the art of beekeeping, as some opt to participate in the school’s inaugural Beekeeping Club. The protective gear and equipment for the Club members to use is being supplied at a reduced rate by inspirational beekeeping educator and beekeeping supplies store owner, Rebecca Powlesland from Bec’s Beehive. We look forward to forming an ongoing partnership with Bec to provide our girls with the inspiration to lead the way in the global #savethebees movement.

Mr Chris Wyatt
Head of Digital Learning (and part-time beekeeper!)