Sutton Valence Primary School,
North St, Maidstone, Kent ME17 3HT

01622 842188

office@sutton-valence.kent.sch.uk

Sutton Valence Primary School

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Our mission is to ensure we all participate in the constant quest of knowledge, learning and adventure so that each individual can build upon their core strengths to aspire to make a real difference.

Earth Class

 

In September, our school was asked to take part in a promotional video for Wilder Kent Awards. Please take a look at the video!

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Yalding Beekeepers visit

Posted: Nov 13, 2018 by: Tara (Tara) on: Forest Blog

Last Friday, Graham Osbourne from Yalding Beekeepers visited Year 3 at Forest School to explain all the elements of a bee hive and teach us about honey bees.

It was such a brilliant morning and we all learned so much.

He also left us a leaflet with the names of the best pollinating plants and this will be invaluable when sowing seeds for our wildflower area in our new butterfly and bee garden.

Thank you, Graham!

 

For further information:  https://www.yaldingbeekeepers.co.uk/

Interesting facts:

* Poppies are great pollinators and their bright colours draw insects in.

* Last year one hive made 100 pounds (45 kg) of honey

* Every 3rd mouthful comes from pollinating insects.

* Bees collect pollen nectar, which has protein that the young bees mix with honey to make bee bread.

* Bees collect tree sap (sticky like glue and bees use to repair hive and it also has medicinal properties, like antiseptic).

* Bees are very clean and poo outside their hive.

* There is 1 queen bee in the hive (laying 1000 eggs a day), 1000s of female worker bees and 500 or so male drone bees (in autumn the females kick the males out and they die).

* The young worker bees have wax glands on their heads, the queen comes along, lays eggs and the white sausage larvae they develop into is fed by young bees to fatten them up.

* Queen lives up to 5 years, worker bees 6 weeks (in winter live longer – up to 6 months – sit in hive over winter and vibrate wings very gently to keep hive warm)

* The queen flies the highest as has the biggest wings.

* Female bees can fly up to 3 miles (5km) to find food. They have many jobs:

        * take food, store and cap over

        * eat some of the honey

        * clean the hive

        * feed the queen

        * make wax

        * repair cells