Projects and Events

Our projects have been designed to help both the native bee and honey bee populations grow and stimulate further pollination. We have taken many strides since the club's founding in 2016, adding and maintaining many projects. In the past few years, we have increased our collaboration with the Iowa Honey Producers Association (IHPA) and the Central Iowa Beekeepers Association (CIBA), allowing us to attend more of their events to broaden our understanding of honey bees and beekeeping.

Pollinator Hotels

In 2017 and 2019, we installed over 100 pollinator hotels across central Iowa in parks and prairies. This year, we will be replacing or cleaning out these hotels. Additionally, we will be building two large scales hotels modeled after the pictures shown on the right. One will be placed adjacent to the Ames High Prairie and the second will be placed in the Iowa Arboretum. Thank you to the the Ames High Academic and Arts Booster Club for providing us with $500 to offset the costs of this project.

Beekeeping

A year and a half ago, we installed our own hives with the help of Jamie Beyer, our beekeeping advisor. Since then, over 30 club members have learned how to go through the hives, check frames for brood and growth, and harvest viable honey frames. In August we extracted honey using a three-frame hand-crank extractor. After an entire day of work, we were able to extract over 200 pounds of honey. In October, we treated our hives for mites and after only a week of feeding, we prepared them for winter. Following winter, we will be taking small groups of members through the hives.

Pollinator Gardens

Planting gardens that cater to pollinators is immensely important to increasing pollination. We pick various wild and native plants, specifically for bees and butterflies, and plant them in different locations. Including the middle school and bio cells in Ames. This year, we are hoping to secure at least one other location to plant and maintain. We will be working with the biology classes to create and maintain a large-scale pollinator habitat. Thank you to the Sand County Foundation for $1000 in addition to 640 seedlings to make this project come to life.

Seed Samples

We have given out free samples of pollinator-friendly plants such as Spotted Joe-Pye, Butterfly Weed, Anise Hyssop, Milkweed, and Purple Coneflower. These are great plants that can be found at stores or bought online. Make sure to plant pollinator-friendly plants in your gardens this spring.

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Science Nights

Science nights are a great way to educate young minds on the fascinating topic of bees. These take place at Elementary School Science Nights. Students and parents show up to participate in games and crafts to deeper their understanding of bees.