You will need:
- 5 bowls
- 5 small index cards
- Warm water+sugar
- Marker
- 5 clear zip-lock plastic
bags
While bees do not have good vision, they do have a sharp memory. Observe these little creatures in their natural habitat and learn their habits.
INSTRUCTIONS
- Take 5 small index cards and draw different shapes covering the entire cards using a black marker (example, star, circle, heart, square, moon, etc.)
- Make sure to colour the entire shape so that it look like a block of the shape.
- Take your cards and place each of them in a zip-lock bag so that they do not spoil outdoors.
- Place each of the cards outdoors, with the shape side facing upwards. Be certain that the cards will not fly off.
- Next, put water in 4 bowls. Into the 5th bowls, pour warm water which has at least half a cup of sugar water dissolved in it.
- Place the 5 bowls next to the cards; one next to each of the cards.
- Remember which card represents the
sugar-water (nectar) bowls. - Observe the cards and bowls for a few days.
RESULT
The bees will have found the nectar or sugar-water, and will keep coming back for more. They will be able to find their way back quite easily, based on the shape that represents the sugar-water. Bees are known to have amazing memory and can remember shapes and symbols well. That is why beekeepers place symbols near man-made beehives, so as to help bees identify their home.
