Who Works Harder: Ants or Bees? | Tumble Episode
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
Why do ants and bees both work so hard — and which one works harder? That's what listener Hadi wants to know! In this episode, you'll meet Dr. Sammy Ramsey, an entomologist who studies insects from around the world. He's going to be our judge as we pit ants against bees in four rounds to try to crown the Hardest Working Insect!
🎧 Listen to the Episode
🐜🐝 What Kids Will Learn
Why scientists study animal behavior by comparing species — and what that reveals about evolution and how creatures developed their superpowers.
How ants and bees build their homes, gather food, travel for work, and care for their babies — and how the numbers stack up between them.
Why asking "who does it best?" is a real scientific question — and how a scientist can use data to judge!
🔎About The Featured Expert
Dr. Sammy Ramsey serves as Endowed Professor of Entomology at CU Boulder’s BioFrontiers Institute and the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department. He has been featured on Hulu’s Docuseries–as well as in the Washington Post, New York Times, on NPR, CNN, Wired, CBS’s This Morning, Khan Academy, Seeker, The Today Show, and several local news segments, Dr. Sammy is celebrated as an engaging science communicator, and he uses this talent to make science more accessible to a broad audience. His nonprofit, The Ramsey Research Foundation, works to develop novel pathways to protect pollinators and ensure that the public can engage with scientific research
🧑🏫 Classroom & Home Resources
🔗 NGSS Alignment: 3-LS2-1, 3-LS4-3, 4-LS1-1
📚 Learn More:
💬 Discussion Questions
Hadi thought bees work harder because flying is harder than walking — do you agree? What other factors might you consider when deciding which animal works harder?
Dr. Sammy compared ants and bees across four categories: Home, Food, Work-Travel, and Babies. Can you think of any other categories that might have changed the outcome?
Ants and bees both live and work in large groups. What are some advantages of working together as a team — for insects or for humans?
🎧 More Episodes About Insects: Do Bugs Have Elbows?, The Tale of How Ants Conquered the Earth, The Butterflies of Paris
📚 For Teachers: Explore our Audio Courses for NGSS-aligned science learning.
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