WOW - REAL BEES IN OUR CLASS ! Thanks Horton Honey Farms

Many thanks to Mrs Roslyn Horton from Horton Honey Farms in Echo.  Mrs Horton visited our class on Thursday to talk about honeybees and she brought an observation hive with live bees!  This was a great time for us to learn from a beekeeping expert about how a bee colony functions, the different roles of the bees, construction of the honeycomb, and the keen sensitivity that bees have to ensure the recipe for honey is tightly controlled.  We even talked about why “killer bees” are a threat and some of the measures that experts are taking to slow down their entry into our region.

Horton Honey Farms has a great website – check it out !  

http://www.hortonsfarm.com/ 

Mrs Horton and her family are beekeepers, they sell honey and honey related health products, they teach others about beekeeping and are involved in Christian ministry in the Wiregrass area.

Did you get any disappearing honey?  Mrs D took some Horton’s Honey Farms honey to her family and it began to disappear immediately !

Waggle Dance - Amazing Bees !

Bees communicate with one another using the Waggle Dance.  When one bee finds a source of flowers, it returns to the hive and performs a dance that communicates to other bees where these flowers are located.  The dance actually gives the direction and the distance from the hive!  The importance of the dance was discovered in 1947 but even today, researchers at Georgia Tech are studying the Waggle Dance of bees, and the way other animals communicate with each other.  They hope to use their findings to enable robots to communicate with each other.


Researchers at Georgia Tech's Robotics Lab have produced a fascinating video about the Waggle Dance.  It is 7 1/2 minutes long but very informative.  Here is the link to the video on YouTube: Ga Tech Robotics Lab Video on Waggle Dance

Looking for something shorter ?  This YouTube video is less than one minute but it shows the Waggle Dance of the honeybee!  Here is the link: Waggle Dance of Bees - Short Video

EARN A REWARD!!   Your answers are due to Mrs D by class on Friday.
(1) Do some research to find out who discovered the Waggle Dance and what country he/she is from. 
(2) Print out a copy of a world map and circle the country where this researcher is from.   (Page 2 of the Blog has a link to a world map if you need one.)
(3)  Be a scientist!!!  Think of two other types of animals that may have communication methods that would be very interesting to study and understand.  Do not select domestic animals such as cats, dogs, or horses.
(4) Describe an experiment or an observation that you would perform to better understand communication methods of the animals you selected.

Two Great Opportunities to See International Space Station This Week

Been wanting to get a view of the International Space Station ?  Or maybe you've already seen it and want to show your friends?  This week there are two great viewing opportunities (from Dale County area) on Thursday evening and Saturday evening.  Times and viewing locations are listed below - Good Luck !!

Thurs, 05 May - at 8:58pm, ISS will be in NE sky (30 deg azimuth) and almost directly overhead (83 deg elevation).  It will be flying from left to right.

Sat, 07 May - at 8:10pm, ISS will be in NE sky (28 deg azimuth) and almost directly overhead (83 deg elevation).  It will be flying from left to right.

Want to check satellite flyover times for yourself?  Check out this link - you can give it your location then get a 5-day forecast on satellites that are bright enough to see without a telescope.  http://www.n2yo.com/