Discover Charles Henry Turner: The Groundbreaking Black High School Teacher Who Transformed Insect Behavior Research in the Early 20th Century

On a cool autumn morning in 1908, Charles Henry Turner, an African American biologist, stood in O’Fallon Park, St. Louis. Dressed sharply, he set out dishes filled with strawberry jam on picnic tables and then took a seat with his notebook. This would be the start of an important experiment.

After a little tea and toast—topped with the same jam he’d set out—Turner resumed his work. He placed jam at noon and again at dusk. He quickly noticed that honeybees were drawn to his little buffet throughout the day. However, after a few days of this routine, Turner changed his approach and only put the jam out at dawn. The bees adjusted their schedule, ultimately showing up only in the morning.

This simple experiment revealed something amazing: bees can perceive time and adapt their feeding habits. Turner’s findings opened the door to many groundbreaking discoveries about insect behavior.

Throughout his impressive 33-year career, Turner published 71 papers and became the first African American to have his research published in the journal Science. Today, although his name is often overlooked, he is recognized as a pioneer in studying bees and insect behavior.

Humble Beginnings

Turner was born in Cincinnati in 1867, just two years after the Civil War. His father was a church custodian, and his mother was a formerly enslaved nurse. Growing up during Jim Crow laws, he faced many challenges, yet he remained determined to pursue education.

From a young age, Turner had a fascination with small creatures and spent countless hours collecting ants, beetles, and butterflies. He excelled in school, ultimately becoming the valedictorian of his class at Gaines High School.

He earned a Bachelor of Science from the University of Cincinnati and later became the first African American to obtain a doctorate in zoology from the University of Chicago. His groundbreaking dissertation, “The Homing of Ants: An Experimental Study of Ant Behavior,” was published in a scientific journal in 1907.

Despite his qualifications, Turner struggled to find stable work at universities due to systemic racism. Even the University of Chicago and Booker T. Washington at the Tuskegee Institute were unable to offer him permanent positions. Instead, he took a job teaching at Sumner High School in St. Louis, where he earned a modest salary of $1,080 a year (about $34,300 in today’s money).

Exploring Insect Intelligence

Turner’s research included profound discoveries about various insects. He demonstrated that wasps, bees, and ants are not just instinct-driven creatures; they can learn and remember.

At the time, scientists understood that flowers attracted pollinators through scent, but few studied how visual aspects played a role. Turner created a setup in O’Fallon Park to test this. He drove wooden dowels into the ground, topping some with red disks covered in honey. Soon, bees were drawn from afar. However, when he added blue disks without honey, the bees ignored them. This showed that visual signals could guide bees when they could not smell the flowers.

Legacy of a Trailblazer

Throughout his career, Turner made significant contributions to understanding insect behavior, earning him recognition as an expert. He faced many obstacles, especially due to the systemic racism of his time, but was dedicated to teaching young African American students about science.

In addition to his scientific work, Turner wrote about the importance of education for African Americans. In his 1902 essay, “Will the Education of the Negro Solve the Race Problem?”, he argued for broader public education rather than limited trade schools. He believed that with higher education, both Black and white people could overcome their prejudices.

Turner passed away at the age of 56 in 1923, yet his work lives on. Even today, researchers cite his studies, and many of his conclusions about insect behavior have been affirmed.

Charles Henry Turner was one of the first to explore the complex lives of bees, highlighting their critical role in our ecosystems and food systems. His journey from humble beginnings to scientific pioneer continues to inspire many today.

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Charles Henry Turner, Charles I. Abramson, strawberry jam, St. Louis, Missouri, African American