Discuss how the bees are finding their nectar. Another variation on this is to remove the colored flowers and instead place a small vial with a screen top and fill it with a scent. Ask the students to place a different scent next to each sugar solution. This type of experiment may be used to examine how honey bees perceive colors and shapes. Then switch the yellow flowers with black flowers of the same shape.
Conclusion Have the students write a laboratory report discussing their findings.
Discuss vision and learning in other organisms and contrast to that of honey bees. Published by Princeton University Press, Princeton, NJ, 1985. Why Flowers Have Colors, by S. A. Johnson and Y. Sato. Published by Lerner, M.N., 1991. The Story of Pollination, by B.J.D. Meeuse.