Science·Insects & Minibeasts·conceptual
Insect communication and behaviour
Insect communication and behaviour: bees perform a waggle dance to tell hive-mates where flowers are. Ants lay pheromone trails for others to follow. Fireflies flash light patterns to find mates. Crickets chirp by rubbing their wings. Monarch butterflies migrate thousands of miles across continents. How insects 'talk' without words.
Suggested ages 9–11
Evidence of understanding
- Describe at least three ways insects communicate such as the bee waggle dance, ant pheromone trails, and firefly light signals
- Explain what information a bee conveys through its waggle dance, including direction and distance to flowers
- Describe the monarch butterfly migration and explain why it is remarkable in terms of distance and navigation
Assessment prompt
Can Insect communication and behaviour explain how bees tell each other where to find flowers, how ants leave invisible trails, or how fireflies use light to send messages?
Standards alignment
No external standards are linked to this topic.