The words 'LIstening to Bees' are spelled out on a wall, beyond which are a series of displays in glass cases, photographs and posters
Animals

The buzz at the museum: Listening to Bees

CKTZ News, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

 At the Cortes Island Museum and Archives Society (CIMAS), a current exhibit celebrates bees while the online archives take off in popularity.

Photo credit: display showing Paul Stamets’ work on how mycelium extracts can save honeybees. Photo by Anastasia Avvakumova

The Listening to Bees exhibit opened on World Bee Day, May 20, earlier this year with a live demonstration of a beehive — catch it at the museum again on Thursday, August 19 10 am – 12 noon. The exhibit includes bee lore, past and present beekeepers’ tools, informative displays showcasing the four native species, a slew of educational videos which can be watched on demand, fascinating bee facts and the work by mycologist Paul Stamets in recovering the health of honeybees through mycelium extracts.

The second current exhibit, ‘That WasThen | This Is Now,’ is a retrospect of CIMAS in its various iterations since its public inception in 1998.

The online archives have been attracting a lot of digital attention and traffic to the archives room, as well as research requests.

Since starting its summer hours 6 days a week in June, the museum on Beasley Road, which also functions as a tourist information centre, has seen a lot of visitors — almost entirely from British Columbia. 21 people joined the Gumboot Walk in Manson’s Lagoon on July 10; another is planned for August and one more in September.

Jane Newman has been the managing director for CIMAS since the spring of 2018 and finds great enjoyment in learning about and working with the people and place of Cortes Island.

Links of Interest:

Top photo credit: Entrance to Listening to Bees exhibit. Photo by Anastasia Avvakumova

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