Prince William County teacher takes his students inside the hive on World Bee Day
PRINCE WILLIAM COUNTY, Va. (ABC7) — The bees that live in Tim Vaughan's yard are exactly where he wants them.
The Marsteller Middle School teacher says what he's after is raw honey.
According to him, it healed his grandmother of arthritis that crippled her at the age of 46.
"She lived to be 98 and she was never in the hospital. Walked a mile a day every year before she died," he said.
His son Andrew suffered from allergies and asthma attacks until Vaughan says he started taking a spoonful of raw honey each day.
"Hasn't had an inhaler in nine years. It's awesome," said Vaughan.
Now the allergy-free 11-year old serves as a cameraman during his dad's Zoom lessons on bees.
"It's a fun activity. They're learning about it and anything they can do to help the bees and the environment is fantastic," the technology and engineering instructor said.
The sixth and seventh graders who watched the lesson had plenty of questions.
"What are the pros and cons of being a beekeeper?" one student asked.
"Have wasps ever invaded your hives?" another inquired.
The most important thing the middle school teacher wants his students to understand is that when it comes to protecting the bee population, they can do something.
"They can help the hive population because bees are dying," he said.
Vaughan recommends avoiding the use of pesticides.
Another tip is to add plants like pansies, peonies and lavender to the garden.
For more information about protecting bees, click here.
