December Clubs

State Beekeeping Essay

Due February 15th: North Carolina State 4-H Beekeeping Essay

Did you know that a honey bees communicate via dancing? The Round dance communicates the nearby presence of food. The Waggle dance is used to communicate the location of a food source more than 165ft away from the hive. The direction, distance, and quality of the food is made known through the Waggle. If a threat is detected near the food, another bee will interrupt the dancing bee with a head-butt!

Encourage your 4-H youth to explore more about the fascinating story of the hardworking honey bee by participating in the North Carolina 4-H Beekeeping Essay contest. The essay provides a platform for youth to creatively express their working knowledge and research of the craft of beekeeping. The 2019 Essay Topic is "Honey Varietals, State to State" Each jar of honey reflects an unrepeatable combination of climate, soil, weather and flowers. Each state has unique honey varietals that beekeepers can market to their customers. Please identify one unique varietal to your state and discuss the flower’s uniqueness and how beekeepers can effectively market that varietal. In your essay, please include a photo of the varietal’s flower, an interview with a local beekeeper who collects this varietal and a recipe that highlights the varietal.

Essays are due February 15th at 5:00pm and should be emailed to me at liz_driscoll@ncsu.edu. I am attaching a two pager that you can widely distribute to your youth! Please let me know if you have any questions!