Examine human /insect interactions
Lesson Plans by subject 
March 20, 2002
Web posted at: 2:43 PM EST (1943 GMT)
Overview: CNN Student News correspondent Michael McManus speaks with Dr. Gabriela Chavarria about human/insect interaction. Have students examine human/insect interactions and determine whether insects are more helpful or harmful to the human population.
Curriculum connections: Biology, Life Science
Objectives
Students will be able to:
Identify how innate characteristics of bees support the survival of their population.
Determine the benefits and drawbacks of insects to the human population.
Standards
National Science Education Standards
Life science, Content standard C, grades nine –12
Students should know that human beings live within the world's ecosystems. Increasingly, humans modify ecosystems as a result of population growth, technology, and consumption. Human destruction of habitats through direct harvesting, pollution, atmospheric changes, and other factors is threatening current global stability, and if not addressed, ecosystems will be irreversibly affected.
National Science Education Standards
Science and Personal and Social Perspectives, Content standard F, grades nine –12
Students should know that humans have a major effect on other species. For example, the influence of humans on other organisms occurs through land use--which decreases space available to other species--and pollution--which changes the chemical composition of air, soil, and water.
Materials
CNN Student News story,"Human-insect interactions: Bees"
Internet access
Suggested time
Article and questions only: 30 minutes
Full lesson plan: Two to three classroom periods
Procedure
1. Have students read the CNN Student News story, "Human-insect interactions: Bees," and ask the following:
Who is Gabriela Chavarria? What type of insect does she study? Why do you think she endured being stung well over 100 times on one day during her research? In what two instances will bees sting?
What is pollination? How does pollination impact the survival of crops and plants? What are "pollen baskets"? What are some characteristics of the Killer Bee? Why is their name a misnomer? From where did these bees come? How were these bees introduced to the Western Hemisphere? Why won't Killer Bees migrate to northern parts of the United States and Canada?
2. Inform students that bees are an example of social insects. Social insects such as ants, wasps and termites live together in colonies. In these colonies, some individuals gather food, others protect the colony and others reproduce. Ask: What is meant by the term "altruistic behavior"? Point out that when worker bees sting an intruder to defend the colony, they cause their own deaths. Ask: Why do you think this is an innate behavior? How does this increase the chances of survival of the queen bee? How will the queen bee's survival affect the future population of the colony?
3. Remind students that one product created by insects and used by humans is honey. Direct students to conduct further research to determine other products humans use from insects, such as beeswax, lac and dyes. Instruct students to also determine the services that insects provide such as pollination, nutrient cycling, pest control or providing food for other animals as well as insects' relationship to food supply and human life and property. Have students create charts illustrating the benefits and drawbacks of the relationship between humans and insects. Have students share their findings.
Assessment
Group students. Have each group create a poster or brochure describing both positive and negative human/ insect interactions. Have students share their posters or brochures. Then, ask: Do you think insects are more helpful or harmful to humans based upon your research and class discussion? How are insects presented in the media? Discuss.
Challenges
1. Inform students that there are many insects that are hosts or carriers of human diseases. Have each student prepare a report on a specific example of the role of insects in history. Examples include fleas that spread the bubonic plague ("black death") of the Middle Ages and mosquitoes that transmitted yellow fever during the construction of the Panama Canal.
2. Have students write essays describing life on the planet without any insects. Students should address the following questions: Would life continue as we know it? If not, what would be different?
Extensions
1. Have students research several cultures in which insects are a part of people's regular diet. Why do people in these cultures eat insects? How are the insects prepared? What is their nutritional value? Direct students to discuss their findings in a report, and include at least two recipes that contain insects as an ingredient.
2. Refer students to the last two Web sites to learn more about the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations for insect parts allowed in food or food –related products. Have students share their findings. Ask: Are you surprised by the amount of insects allowed in food? Why or why not?
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