Buzz of excitement as bees arrive at Science Centre

Tonbridge School’s Barton Science Centre has more than a thousand new residents after the arrival of a colony of bees.

In a careful operation the insects were transported from the school’s main apiary to their brand new hive, installed on the Biology floor of the centre.

The bees are now in a specially designed ‘observation hive’, equipped with double glazed units, which means that boys can get up close and study the day-to-day activities and behaviour of the hive without disrupting or irritating the colony.

“Moving in day was a success – we carried over three frames with brood, stores and bees, and we have a marked queen in pink paint for easy recognition,” said Colin Swainson, Housemaster and Biology teacher at Tonbridge. 

“Bees are fascinating creatures and the hive will provide lots of opportunities for learning, allowing us to study bee colony structure and organisation, their duties within the hive, and how they communicate.” 

There is an environmental aspect to the hive too, since bee numbers are in sharp decline due to a combination of pests, pesticides and destruction of habitats. Scientists warn that a loss of the bee population would have a major impact on the world: many of the world’s most important crops would fail and directly affect the food supply of humans and countless other species.

Conservation, which includes beekeeping, and habitat and woodland management, is among the weekly activities that boys can be involved in at Tonbridge. “It’s vital that young people learn about biodiversity, sustainability and our environment,” Mr Swainson adds. 

Alongside features such as the interactive periodic table, the giant TV wall and the Barton’s Chair sculpture, the observation hive is one of the showpiece items of the Barton Science Centre.

The state-of-the-art centre received its official opening at a ceremony in March. James Priory, Headmaster of Tonbridge School, described it as “an extraordinary and beautiful building which is already inspiring innovative approaches to teaching and learning, and becoming a hub for science education in the wider community”.

Photos by Emma Sim.

Pictured below:

The observation hive at the Barton Science Centre;

Transporting the bees from the school apiary;

The bees enter their new hive, an operation carried out on the Barton Science Centre rooftop;

The queen bee is marked in pink so she can be easily spotted by the school’s beekeepers.