Insect Experiments

As the temperature changes, warm bugs and cold bugs behave differently. This outdoor insect experiment studies how insects respond to warm and cold weather.

What You'll Need:

If a sunny flower garden is in your yard or a nearby park, you can easily discover what effects temperature has on insects. Spring is a good time to do this, because the temperature can be warm one day and cold the next.

How to Do Warm Bugs, Cold Bugs:

Step 1: On a warm day, check an outdoor thermometer to see the temperature. Take your notebook and sit near the flower border where you can see insects.

Step 2: Pick a patch of flowers about a yard square. Every few minutes, count how many insects fly around in the flowers.

Step 3: On a cold day, repeat the experiment. Watch the same flowers and count the number of flying insects. On which day were the insects most active? How could this affect the plants in the border if those insects pollinate some of the flowers?

Next, watch fruit disappear with the help of bugs.

For more crafty fun and animal-related activities: