PUPILS are buzzing with excitement after their school was chosen as the first in the UK to have an interactive viewable bee house.

Ynysddu Primary pupils unveiled the SVH Bees project today, with children donning bee suits to learn about bee keeping and the importance of pollinators.

The project was created as part of partnership between Ynysddu Primary School, the Sirhowy Valley Honeybee Company and Caerphilly County Borough Council’s (CCBC) sustainable development team.

The site is split into two sections, including an interactive area where children can work with the bees and a sealed observation area, where pupils can see inside the hives.

Ynysddu Primary Head teacher, David Witchell, said: “From the school’s perspective we’re very eco friendly and as a school we support the eco agenda.

“When we had the opportunity to do this it was something we jumped at [...] we’re always looking for new and different things for the children to help them grow and develop.”

The project was funded by Keep Wales Tidy’s ‘All Wales Grant’, a CCBC Caerphilly grant and the CCBC Regeneration Fund, along with support from the school, Sirhowy Valley Honeybee Company (SVH) and the sustainable development team.

Groups of up to 15 pupils can attend workshops and pupils from Cwmfelinfach and Ynysddu Primary schools will work with the bee hive house as part of their curriculum one day a week.

Lorne East, of the Sirhowy Valley Honeybee Company, said the company was set up in 2014 as a “social enterprise that is all about the community”.

“Our thing is honey bees and the importance of honey bees as pollinators [...] It has taken about 18-months to two years to get to this stage,” he said.

Alongside catering to Cwmfelinfach and Ynysddu, the facility will be open to other schools in Caerphilly, inviting pupils for two- hour lessons and workshops about pollinators.

Mr East explained: “They will be taught all about the importance of honey bees as our pollinators and also have the opportunity to work in bee suits, gain hands on experience and learn everything there is to know about being a bee keeper.”

Caerphilly council's education head, cllr Derek Havard, added: “I’m sure that pupils will learn so much from their experiences, both about the importance of bees to our ecosystem and the need to respect nature and wildlife."