Our exploration stations allow students to explore bees using each of their 5 senses! The content of each station is differentiated based on the grade level participating, and each student will receive an exploration packet to record their findings, including: how bees see different colors, use pheromones (smell) to communicate, feeling the texture of real honeycomb, the taste honey fresh from the hive, and different sounds in the hive.

Station Options (Choose 5-6)

• Who Lives in the Hive: View 5,000 safely contained, live honeybees. Can you spot the queen? Workers caring for larvae? What about a young bee emerging from a cocoon?

• Bee Vision: See the world like a bee does through their 5 eyes! Did you know they can see ultraviolet light?

• Communication: Bees communicate through scent, touch, sound, and even dance! Can you smell as well as a bee? See if you can identify the pheromones bees produce, and even learn the steps to the "waggle dance"

• Honey Tasting: Conduct a scientific honey tasting, describing the color, flavor, and aroma of different honeys.

• Bee Homes: Did you know there are over 26,000 species of bee in the world? Examine the different homes and habitats bees live in, including soil, stems, mud, tree cavities, and more!

• Save the Bees: There are many problems bees face, learn about these issues and how we can help.

• Bee Products: So many things in our lives have materials from the hive. Learn how humans utilize honey, wax, pollen, propolis, and royal jelly.

• Insect Anatomy: Examine the body parts of bees up close under the microscope! Identify the parts of the bee on a real specimen as well as using interactive puzzles.