Instead of tailgating at the final home football game of the season Saturday, some parents and children were learning about the secret life of honeybees.
“Honeybees: A Hive Full of Honey” was held in LSU’s Museum of Natural Science. It is part of a series of educational science programs held for children ages five through 10.
About 50 people attended the honeybee program. Children and parents learned about bees and their habits, sampled different types of honey, observed bees and colored.
The beginning of the program was an introduction into bees’ lives.
Jeff Harris, a research entomologist, showed the audience a slide show he prepared about bees. He spoke about bee-mating, beekeeping, the jobs of bees, honey combs and much other information about bees.
Harris said he began his career as a beekeeper, but since has moved to researching and mating bees to make them disease-resistant.
Harris said bees’ pollination tremendously affects the fruit and flower industries. He said the industries need bees to be disease-resistant because insecticides rid the predators that kill bees, which could lead to problems in the industry.
“In 2000, bees had a $14.6 billion value to the United States,” Harris said.
After learning about bees’ lives, the children were able to taste honey and color in the parts of the United States that produce honey.
Rebecca Tedford, a graduate student in geology and coordinator of the program, said Louisiana is a large producer of honey and produces its own honey called tallow.
Jennifer Whittington, a Baton Rouge resident, brought her two children.
Whittington said she and her children enjoy the programs and the museum. She said it is fun for her children to be able to learn about animals and their natural habitats.
Bob Tague, a geography and anthropology professor, said the programs are something different to do with his daughter. He said it is good for children to be exposed to natural history and for parents to be reintroduced.
Ayman Okeil, a Baton Rouge resident, said this was he and his son’s first time at the museum. He said the program was impressive and he plans on returning.
The educational science programs are held once a month on Saturdays in the Museum of Natural Science.