Creating a hive for wild forest bees, producing an instructional film for amateur beekeepers and holding the “Bee” art competition—these are just some of the activities that the TREK Social Activity Association in Kruszyn will carry out in our county as part of the “Beekeepers of the Lower Silesian Forests” project.
The organization from Kruszyn won a grant competition organized by Zakłady Tłuszczowe “Kruszwica” S.A. and Fundacja Nasza Ziemia, a partner in the “With Kujawski, We Help Bees” program.
The competition was open to educational institutions throughout Poland and aimed to develop environmental awareness and expand knowledge about bees and the ecosystems in which they occur.
The competition task was to develop an idea for an educational project and specific activities benefiting bees. The grant awarded to the winner for carrying out the project is PLN 8,000.
“Our goal is to introduce beekeeping in the Lower Silesian Forests—the forgotten craft that disappeared from this area several centuries ago,” explains Anna Salej of the TREK association, the project coordinator. “We intend to recreate a traditional hive and prepare an instructional film for residents of Bolesławiec County who would like to take up beekeeping. The Lower Silesian Forests have enormous potential—forests, wetlands, meadows and heathlands—to become a place where bees occur in large numbers.”
Most activities will be aimed at the youngest residents of the county—children in preschools, primary schools, lower-secondary schools and secondary schools. Secondary-school students will take part in beekeeping workshops led by Krystyna and Jerzy Słonecki from the village of Luboszów, the most experienced beekeepers in Lower Silesia. The students will learn the secrets of bee life and will also be able to try their hand at simple apiary tasks. On this basis, the young people will prepare classes about bees for their younger classmates from primary schools.
In turn, activities will be held at a cinema for 100 preschoolers—“A Morning with Maya the Bee.” While watching the cartoon, the children will learn about the life of bees and then create a flower meadow, which will form part of an exhibition displayed at the “Orzeł” Cultural Integration Centre in Bolesławiec. The most spectacular result of the entire project will be the preparation of a new home for bees. “Together with the Słonecki family’s apiary, we will find a suitable tree in which a hive can be carved out,” explains Anna Salej. “At this location, we will build a platform of poles from which we will begin hollowing out the hive, and place honeycombs inside to entice the bees to settle there. This is an old, proven method used by beekeepers, thanks to which the hive will be colonized naturally.”
There will also be beekeeping-themed attractions during the 20th Bolesławiec Ceramic Festival, which will take place from 20 to 24 August 2014. On Saturday, a stand will be set up at the event where visitors will be able not only to learn about the project being carried out by the TREK association, but also to buy T-shirts, bags, brooches and earrings with bee motifs.
The project will culminate in the September “Bee” art competition for preschoolers and primary-school students. The project will run until 15 October 2014.
Information about the project can also be found on www.trek.org.pl.
(information: Anna Salej/ii)