Kristen Wolf teaching a first-grade field trip about the importance of bees

Champlain Apiary

Since 2013, Champlain College has had an apiary, otherwise known as a collection of beehives maintained by a beekeeper. Located behind Perry Hall, the hives are situated near the pollinator garden and serve as a hands-on experience for a wide range of students.

Welcome to the Apiary

The Champlain Apiary was established in the Spring of 2013 to provide experiential learning opportunities for our students and community members and to support the college’s commitment to sustainability.

This living laboratory gives us a window into the fascinating lives of a uniquely social organism that teaches us about the intricacies of group decision-making, communication, and community. At a time when both feral and managed bee populations are in decline, our bees benefit Champlain’s campus and the surrounding landscape through the pollination services they provide.

Thank you to the many faculty, staff, students, and community members who have supported the apiary and special thanks to the Class of 2013 for making this endeavor possible.

Visiting the Apiary

Located behind Perry Hall, the apiary is open for organized tours at various times from May through September.

If you would like to bring your class to the apiary, or involve the apiary in your course or program curriculum, contact Apiary Manager, Kristin Wolf.

Bee-ing Educated

Kristen Wolf teaching a first-grade field trip about the importance of bees

Concept

One of the primary goals of the Champlain Apiary is to educate students through integrative experiential learning. Before the apiary was even established, Professor Jay McKee’s marketing students were brainstorming what a live honey operation out of Champlain’s back yard might look like.

Reflection

Once the apiary was up and running, Professor Rob William’s COR 130 Summer Bridge students gathered around the hives as they pondered the question “What do human and bee communities have in common?” The Champlain Apiary soon became an epicenter for enriched conversations and learning opportunities.

Education

Champlain courses such as SCI 210: Fundamentals of Ecology, COR 230: Ethics and the Environment, ENP 100: Intro to Environmental Issues, and COR 120: Concepts of Community have all used the campus apiary in their lesson plans. Professors love the hands-on learning it provides for their students.

Office of Sustainability

Skiff Annex, Room 203
163 South Willard Street, Burlington, VT 05401
Tuesday – Friday
11:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Email us to set up a meeting outside of the academic year