Beekeeper Chunyu | Learn about the life of bees and taste the freshest honey

"Spring Rain Beekeeping relies almost entirely on guest participation, who then recommend the experience to their friends. Many adults attend with little expectation, thinking they are just accompanying their children, but end up having a surprisingly enriching experience. Reviews can be found at the end of the article."

Note: Late arrivals are only accepted within ten minutes, and the experience will not officially start until ten minutes later.

Experience time: 10:00 am to 12:00 noon, 2 hours.

Reminder: Even if you wear protective gear, we cannot 100% guarantee that you will not be stung by a bee (although the possibility is extremely low).

This experience includes:

• Understanding Bees
• A close look at the lives of bees
• Taste freshly picked honey
• Observe the life of a beekeeper with 20 years of experience

Although I have lived in the countryside of Dali for many years, the world of bees and beekeepers was still a little far away for me, until I met Chunyu. Before that, the closest I had ever been to bees and beekeepers was by hiking to a valley where a migratory beekeeper made their home, with their hives built on the hillside.

Generally speaking, unless you are familiar with the beekeeper, they may not invite you to observe the world of bees up close. So, after meeting the beekeeper Chunyu, I, a few friends, and our children had the first opportunity to explore the life of bees, beehives, honey production process, bee dances, and taste the freshest honey directly from the hive.

The Spring Rain Bee Farm is located in a village at the foot of the mountain, which is accessible by car. The beehives are located in a forest surrounded by a low stone wall.

Before they knew it, the twins had climbed up a tree.

After drinking the honey lemonade, the children put on bee-proof suits. In fact, bees are not very aggressive, and Chunyu did not wear any protective equipment during the demonstration.

Chunyu showed us her daily routine, checking the hives, inspecting the honey, and explaining:

• Which bee is the queen bee, which bee is the worker bee, and which bee is the drone.
• Watch the "waggle dance" of honey bees and learn what the different dances mean.
• How can the same egg develop into a queen bee.
• Show us the different areas of the hive and their functions.
• Watch how bees turn pollen into honey.
• The life span of a bee.
• And much more...

Finally, of course, we harvested and tasted fresh honey.

(This was my first time tasting freshly picked honey. Although I have seen honeycombs in the market, I am not entirely sure of their authenticity.)

The honey was freshly harvested, crystal clear and unique. I ate it up quickly.

"Can I lick the plate, too? I want to."

If anything is unclear, you can participate in the Q&A session.

Approximate itinerary:

• 10:00 AM Arrive at the Bee Forest
• Drink honey lemon water
• Wear protective gear
• Chunyu explains the life of bees and shares knowledge
• Honey picking and tasting
• Knowledge quiz session
• Total duration: about 2 hours