The New Mexico Farm & Ranch Heritage Museum in Las Cruces will open a new exhibit at the end of this month that explores an important and fascinating topic.

“What’s the Buzz? Why Honey Bees Matter” opens in the Museum’s Legacy Gallery, with a free reception from 4-7 p.m. on March 31. The reception for this outstanding new exhibit will feature refreshments, door prizes and honey-related items for purchase and to give away.

Teachers are especially encouraged to attend the opening to get a sneak peek at this exhibit that will be popular for school children. Free lesson plans related to the exhibit will be available to any teachers who are interested.

The exhibit explores the amazing history of humans keeping honey bees for food and other bee products and the critical role bees play in pollinating about a third of the plants we ultimately consume as our food. There are not enough honey bees left in the wild to pollinate all of our crops, so commercial beekeepers now commonly move their bee hives (sometimes across the country) to achieve this important task. Since 2006, a series of large-scale die-offs of honey bees have occurred.

The interactive exhibit also takes a look at bees in culture and religion, migration history, the physiology and anatomy of bees, and the future of honey bees and their connection to agriculture.

Puzzles on bee body types, pollination and the waggle dance are among the interactive activities that are part of the exhibit.

The exhibit will be on display through June 18, 2017. The Museum is located at 4100 Dripping Springs Road in Las Cruces, and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday, and noon to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults, $4 for senior citizens, $3 for children 4 to 17, and $2 for active U.S. military and veterans. For more information, please call (575) 522-4100.