>question is:  what do they need for sustenance? The hive has a feeder. What 
>should I put in it? Water? Sugar syrup?
>The hive will be in the shade and supervised the whole time . Any other 
>considerations I ought to be aware of?
>Any advice would be most welcome.

Sugar syrup goes in the feeder.  I've been going to the local schools with 
mine.  I have an Ulster Observation hive, it has a nuc built into it.  I can 
load it and leave it in the yard for weeks before I use it.

Some words of advice.  Do a trial run in your own house for a day or two. 
Be real sure your hive is "bee tight".  Some dead bees are normal, as they 
can't clean house penned up.  A lot of dead bees are usually a ventilation 
problem.  Auto glass is the best choice.  There is always going to be at 
least one kid (or adult) who hates bees and may try to kill them if they 
have a chance.  In the absence of auto glass, sheets of Plexiglas over the 
regular glass works.  Don't switch the regular glass for the Plexiglas, 
however.  The bees make a mess of it.

I carry a bag in with me.  In it I have honey and plastic spoons for 
sampling, an Epipen and a spray bottle of rubbing alcohol.  Observation 
hives are very attractive to local bees.  You may pick up a few "hobos" just 
walking across the parking lot.  Stop at the door, triple check and spray 
the "hobos" before you go in.  If you want to see a room full of people 
freak out, show them a Observation hive with a few loose bees in the room. 
In the event of an emergency like this, shut off the lights and the bees 
will collect on the windows.

It sounds like your planning an outside demonstration.  You should plan on 
local bees coming to visit, and plan to discreetly get rid of them.  Also, 
it takes almost no time in the sun to kill the hive.  They overheat quickly.

Don't be discouraged!  A well planned out live honey bee demonstration is a 
wonderful thing.  I used to plan out long speeches, now I just uncover the 
hive and let them pound me with questions.  I've been bringing a couple of 
bee suits with me for people to try on and a few drones in a jar for the 
brave to handle if they want.  I also bring my youngest daughter, Sydney. 
She is four years old and has zero fear of honey bees.  Sydney shows the 
adults how to handle drones and how to put on a bee suit.

Your going to find a few people in the crowd that hate bees, that think your 
crazy and nothing you say will change that.  Also, a few will think your the 
most amazing person they have ever met.  Maybe a couple will get into 
beekeeping themselves.  Everyone leaves with more than what they came with.

Jim Hock
Wethersfield, CT 

-- Visit www.honeybeeworld.com/bee-l for rules, FAQ and  other info ---