STEM CPA Students Experience the HAREC Apiary
Students in our STEM Career Pathways in Agriculture (STEM CPA) program traded their desks for bee suits this week and headed out to the UC Hansen Agricultural Research and Extension Center (HAREC) apiary in Ventura County!
Through a collaborative partnership between SEEAG, CSU Channel Islands, and UC Hansen Ag Research Center, local students were offered an unforgettable, hands-on learning experience focused on hive health, insect science, and the vital role pollinators play in local crop production.
Accompanied by professional beekeepers and ag educators, students were surrounded by citrus groves and native plant habitats. Equipped with full protective suits, they got a front-row seat to over 60 active honey bee colonies.
During their time in the field, students explored:
Hive Health & Colony Structure: Examining active honeycomb frames alongside professional beekeepers to understand queen dynamics, worker roles, and overall hive vitality.
Pollinator Power: Discovering how honey bees and native pollinators directly sustain Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties’ agricultural abundance from strawberries and avocados to lemons and row crops.
Habitat Preservation: Studying how native floral gardens and sustainable land management keep bee populations healthy and thriving year-round.
Connecting Students to the Future of Agriculture
SEEAG provides 100% cost-free experiential STEM programs to youth across Ventura and Santa Barbara counties. Trips like our HAREC apiary visits do more than educate students for the day, they build real awareness around environmental stewardship, food origin, and future career pathways in agricultural technology, ecology, and research science.
When students see firsthand how healthy bee colonies keep our local food supply moving, agriculture stops being simply what they drive past on their way home from school, it becomes a science they care about and understand.
Interested in getting involved or learning more? Reach out to info@seeag.org or (805) 892-8155!
Explore our STEM CPA program: https://www.seeag.org/stem-career-pathways-in-ag
Students learning directly from professional beekeepers.