STUDENTS gingerly inspected swarming honeycomb after building a beehive in their school grounds.

Young beekeepers at Oxford High School have started their own colony in a bid to boost dwindling numbers of the insect, as part of a new extracurricular club called Go Apiary.

Led by the Summertown school's biology department, students from Year 10-13 have spent Friday lunchtimes throughout the year building two hives.

Two starter bee colonies set up home there earlier this month and on Friday students inspected the working hives for the first time since their arrival.

Student beekeepers at the girls' school wear full protective gear and have learnt what to look for in a healthy colony, and skills such as how to use a 'bee smoker'.

Lead apiarist Paul Weeks, head of biology at the school, said: "The commitment and enthusiasm of students has been absolutely brilliant, and they have loved every stage of the process.

"It’s exactly the kind of innovative science project that appeals to Oxford High School girls.

"All I have done is facilitate it – they have done all the work themselves.

"It is great that they are actively contributing to help address the concerns over the declining bee population.

"If the fine weather continues and there is a good nectar flow, we might even be able to extract our first honey later in the summer."

The girls have their own beekeeping account on Instagram and will come up with branding once the honey is ready to be poured into pots.