Apiculture Museum - What's all the buzz about?

Bee species get pinned down at the Apiculture Museum.[Photo/Crienglish.com]

In another room, a red milk crate, a silver canister and a blue dog house turn out to be beekeepers' tools of the trade. Photos on the wall are more likely to send the pulse abuzz. Images of half formed bee pupas wriggling in their honey filled capsules make you wonder how we can be sure our honey doesn't have invisible pupas swimming in it. A picture of fried pupas on a plate with decorative garnishes proclaims the gourmet possibilities of honey bees. Photos of people showcasing grotesquely purple lesions on their lips or tongue would turn the stomach if not accompanied by miraculous recovery photos after patients applied (you guessed it) …h(huán)oney!

If you're not too queasy from those pictures, you can try some honey products from the store just outside. A large variety of made-on-site honey and bee pollen products await purchase.

But if honey's not on your shopping list and you don't have a particular interest in bees or bugs, the Apiculture Museum doesn't need to be on your Must See list. But if you've already come to the botanical gardens to enjoy the spring flowers, it's worth poking your head in for a look (and there isn't any additional fee, which is nice).

How to get there: From Bagou subway station exit A (Line 4) take a taxi to the Beijing Botanical Gardens. The Apiculture Museum is west of Wofo Temple. Fee: none