Testing honey bees' avoidance of predators

Many high school science students do not encounter opportunities for authentic science inquiry in their formal coursework. Ecological field studies can provide such opportunities. The purpose of this project was to teach students about the process of science by designing and conducting experiments on whether and how honey bees (Apis mellifera) avoid predators. Students summarized their findings in scientific papers and presentations to research scientists. We found that this project increased student knowledge of the scientific process, scientific writing, what scientists do, and the importance of the environment.