University of Kansas - Jayhawker Yearbook (Lawrence, KS)

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i - j BEE GLOSSARY T drone- the male bee, whose main func- tion is fertilization of the queen beeg the only type of bee without a stinger j queen- the mother of all bees in the hive worker bee- a female bee whose repro- ductive organs are only partially developed and which is responsible for i carrying on all hive duties except egg 7 laying colony- an assembly of worker bees, drones, and a queen living together hive- a home for bees provided by hu- A mans T Malin Huffniank JAYHITVTIYKER l Taylor's curiosity got the best of him, and he spent the entire summer when he was 13 years old reading every bee book he could get his hands on. He has since become an interna- tional authority on African bees, or killer bees. So why all this buzz about bees? As Taylor told his students, bees have both scientific and economic value. Bees are one of the most thoroughly studied insects and are used as a model for understanding other insect systems. They have complex and interesting social behavior. Bees depend on each other and each has a different job. lf all the bees did not work together, they would not survive. Bees also produce honey, beeswax and other products that humans use. Many fruit, nut, and vegetable crops in the United States are pollinated by bees. Some could not be produced without the pollination of hon- eybees. Many students say that Taylor's en- thusiasm about bees and the course contrib- uted to the class, Dr Taylor is the most charismatic teacher l've ever had, said Ann Clements, Lincoln, Neb., junior. Teaching a hands-on beekeeping class provided many memorable experiences for Taylor. -hr. 4 H.:-' U 223, 3 , 'J' g'-birrqd i Andy: q 2 , .. , V , j - , , -4 , , la ' '. ' M, 2570- . . , ,..4,.5,g5J:g:j'i,--, m wht Julie Ellis, Stone Mountain, Ga. senior, and Lila Akrad, Bergen Op Zoon, senior, search their hive for the emergency queen bee cells so they can kill them Don't wear shorts when you work with bees, Taylor said. One fellow wore short, loose shorts and suddenly received a sharp pain you know where. Taylor said eight people who have taken the course have attained University positions in which they either teach or use bees in their research. Others have gotten into beekeeping after taking the course. Before l thought they were just they hatch. photo by Stephen Pingry things you didn't want to mess with because! they sting, and I thought African bees at ll people or something, said Richard Duran Garden Cityjunior. Now l'm fascinated wit ll them and think they're really neat critters. Many students said that after th course, they were no longer afraid of bees. As Taylor told his class, these bees really are l just flying teddy bears. by julie ellis 1 Student Life 14 i

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experience biology firsthand, which is the way learning should be,'y he said. The course involved in-class lectures and fieldwork that enabled students to work directly with the bees. Students had their own hive boxes. They fed, assessed and maintained the colonies in their boxes. For some, working directly with bees was a little shocking. Rob Calley, Coquille, Ore. senior, holds a male drone honeybee. Male drone honeybees have no stingers, making it impossible for them to sting. There were a hundredfthousand bees everywheref' said Rob Calley, Coquille, Ore., senior. Normally I'd be running, but we were there having to get close to them while Taylor was standing there with a drone in his mouth. Taylor acquired a zany reputation with students and colleagues for stunts like eating bees and putting drones in his mouth to prove that drones do not sting. When dealing with bees, things didn't always go smoothly. LlWe were supposed to transfer bees from one bucket-shaped hive to a more man- ageable box hive, said Paul Bardunias, Stuart, Fla., graduate student. Unfortunately, the combs were all stuck in the bottom of the bucket and we couldn't get the bees out. When we pried out the comb and shook a little too hard, all of it fell out in the groundg wax, honey, and a few thousand bees. The poor little bees were all smeared with honey. Student Life 13 photo Stephen Pingry The ones that weren't stuck in a quivering wad furiously tried to get clean. It didn't help any that excited students kept walking through the grass and stepping on them. Eventually, we got most of them inside the box hive. Taylor said teachers had to let stu' dents make mistakes in order for them to learn. Although the particular type ofhon- eybees the class works with are not ferocious by nature, students do get stung occasionally. When you get stung, just think of the best sex you've ever had, Taylor said. 'Alf you haven't had sex, l can't help you. Taylor first became interested in bees when he was a boy spending summers at his grandmothers house. His grandmothers neighbor kept bees and sold honey that he said with nostalgia tasted just like heaven had descended. The neighbor had many hives but never allowed young Taylor near his bees.

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