Educator Guide: Insect Swarms Might Electrify the Sky

A swarm of locusts flies over a field.

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:

Insect swarms get charged up

Students will read and answer questions about the online Science News article “Insect swarms might generate as much electric charge as storm clouds,” which explores how insect-induced static electricity might affect the atmosphere. A version of the article, “Insect swarms might electrify the sky” appears in the December 3, 2022 issue of Science News.