Educator Guide: Insect Swarms Might Electrify the Sky

A simulation built using data from honeybees suggests that large locust swarms, like the one pictured here, could produce as much electricity as a storm cloud.
John Carnemolla/Getty
About this guide
Large swarms of insects could produce as much electricity as a storm cloud. In this guide, students will explore how insect-induced static electricity might affect the atmosphere, review the concepts of electric charge and electrostatic force, and apply those concepts to their own experiences and the biological phenomenon of insect swarms. In a quick activity, students will create a poem or song about serendipity in science.
This Guide Includes:
Sticking to static electricity with Coulomb’s law
Science sonnets
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