Bees
February 2, 2023
Bees as backyard textbook, stingers and all
Andy Ammons starts his class by taking students to the prairie behind the Newcomer Building at Goshen College. As they walk through the tall grass, students see bees flying around. This unorthodox classroom may make some students uncomfortable, but both bees and Ammons are in their natural habitat. Ammons gets stung a lot — sometimes even on purpose. During his course, Pollinators in Peril, Ammons makes a point of stinging himself. He catches a bee and puts it directly on his arm, encouraging the bee to release the stinger. He says he does so to show the class what happens...