Bees and the TLS Hive

During the 2025-2026 school year, 3rd grade students worked with TLS Environmental Education Specialist Jessie Ryan and beekeeper Annie Reading to investigate how and why our hive died the past two years.

The use of pesticides in the neighborhood around campus was determined to be the cause. The section below describes the research conducted by the students and teachers.

How bees help us learn, and some things we have done with our beehive

Bees help us learn by teaching us about how our natural ecosystem works, and how if something comes in it can throw it all off balance.
If one bee comes back to the hive and has pesticides on them it can affect the whole hive.
Also they taught us the balance of nature and that we all have to work together.
They also help us learn by teaching us that we all have to work together.
Bees help us learn because they help us to keep being curious and also there are so many facts to learn!
We made observations of queen failure and starvation because of pesticides. So please refrain from using pesticides because they are harmful to bees.
We got honey from the beehive and got to hold a bee.
We have learned about the different types of bees—drones, queen and worker bees.

What happened to our bees this year – observations and data we collected

This year our bees died because of pesticides. That’s how they died last year too. Bees can travel anywhere within five miles of the hive. Pesticide use within that radius will affect the beehive. Though we shouldn’t use them anywhere. Our hive died because the pesticides harmed the queen after the bees brought the pesticides to the hive.
The bees were trying to make a new queen, but from what we know it did not work. That means no new bees because the queen lays the eggs.
Toxic chemicals from pesticides were in the hive. There were many dead bees in the hive.

How we figured it out

Pesticides are harmful to bees because

Bees often take nectar and pollen from flowers sprayed with pesticide. Pesticides are harmful to bees because when one bee comes back to the hive with pesticides on them it can hurt the whole hive! Also pesticides aren’t just harmful to bees, they are also harmful to all living creatures!
Pesticides make it hard for bees because it downgrades their ability to fly.
It is very bad for bees so please refrain from using pesticides.

Instead of using pesticides, you can:

Please share this informational PDF with your friends and neighbors.

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A large white daisy flower with a yellow center stands prominently in the foreground, surrounded by a vibrant blue-green background with stylized clouds and buzzing bees.

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