Whanganui Intermediate students learn about bees as part of Bee Aware Month

Whanganui Intermediate students put beeswax from local hives to good use to mark Bee Aware Month.

The 60 Year 7 and 8 students made sustainable beeswax food wraps using beeswax from local apiary business, Comvita Kiwi Bee.

Comvita Kiwi Bee provided all the material required to make the wraps, including beeswax from its Whanganui hives, cotton fabric, baking paper and irons.

As part of the lesson, the students learnt about honey, the different roles bees play in the hive and how, through pollination, bees contribute to the natural environment.

Beeswax food wraps are a good alternative to plastic film for wrapping school lunches, as they are reusable and compostable, Comvita communications advisor Emma Schuler said.

"They're a product parents can feel good about. It's estimated one beeswax food wrap, if used daily, can save up to 75m of plastic from going to landfill."

Schuler says Comvita has helped save 177km of plastic wrap from landfill over the past year, by teaching more than 1000 people how to make beeswax food wraps using wax from company hives.

"The sessions also provide the opportunity to educate New Zealanders, young and old, about the amazing natural products bees make in the hive and their range of uses."

Organised by Apiculture New Zealand, Bee Aware Month aims to get people thinking about honey bees and their contribution to biodiversity and the economy. This year's Bee Aware Month theme is "Love Our Bees".