Bees dance to communicate with their fellow bees, using a dance called the figure-eight dance, to convey information about the location of food sources and the quality of the food, facilitating coordination among the foragers of the colony.
The dance of the bees comes from an evolutionary adaptation that allows the hive to be more efficient in quickly finding food and resources. Originally, some bees moved excitedly when returning loaded with pollen or nectar, alerting their companions. Those who could interpret these movements had a clear advantage: they spent less time searching. Gradually, a true structured communication developed, forming the famous "choreographic language" we observe today. This unique skill, selected by evolution, gives the entire colony a significant boost for its survival.
Bees primarily communicate three types of information through their dances: direction, distance, and quality of a food source. They perform the round dance when food is located very close to the hive, indicating to their friends that the restaurant is just nearby, without providing specific details on the direction. However, when the food is further away, they switch to the famous waggle dance, also known as the trembling dance. Here, the orientation of their bodies in relation to the sun precisely indicates the direction to follow, while the duration and intensity of their dance reveal the distance and richness of the pollen or nectar found. In this way, bees manage to convey with incredible precision, through a few choreographed movements, exactly where the best area is to grab a snack.
To understand the dances of bees, their peers mobilize several specific sensory mechanisms: mainly sight, touch, and vibration perception. Inside the hive, it is very dark, so bees mainly use their antennae to detect the movements of their dancing companions. Thanks to sensitive receptors located on these antennae, they precisely perceive the vibrations of the dancers' bodies. Additionally, bees closely follow the dancer, sometimes giving her gentle nudges with their antennae and heads to better gather information. They also feel vibrations transmitted directly through the honeycomb under their feet, like a secret code sent through the ground. These combined sensations allow the observing bees to understand where the nectar is and how to get there effectively.
Dance is an ultra-effective communication technique that allows bees to go straight to the right address to find nectar or pollen. As a result, they spend much less time searching, save precious energy, and maximize their harvest in just a few hours. The entire colony gains in productivity, with more resources brought home. This brilliant system also helps them react quickly to sudden changes, such as when a new food source appears or an old one disappears. Consequently, the colony remains highly reactive, cohesive, and especially ready to adapt to the unexpected.
The bees' waggle dance, also known as the tremble dance, indicates not only the location of a food source but also factors such as the availability of nectar or pollen, helping their counterparts prioritize their movements.
Bees can perform different dances depending on the distance to the food: for example, a round dance indicates food that is very close (less than 100 meters), while a figure-eight dance indicates a source that is farther away.
Sometimes, bees 'spy' on neighboring hives to observe their dances. This clever strategy allows them to easily locate food sources without having to actively search for them themselves.
In 1973, the scientist Karl von Frisch was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering and deciphering the famous bee dance, revealing that these insects communicate through complex and precise means.
The bee dance is generally considered innate, as a worker bee is capable of performing precise dances from its first outing to collect nectar. However, their precision can improve with experience and age.
Sure! Here’s the translation: "Yes, there are mainly two types of dances among bees: the round dance, which indicates a nearby food source (approximately less than 100 meters), and the waggle dance (in the shape of an 8), which is performed when the food is located further away. This latter dance also conveys information about the direction of the resource."
When a bee performs the waggle dance, it aligns the central axis of this dance with the position of the sun vertically inside the hive (in the darkness). The angle formed between this axis and the vertical indicates the precise direction of the resource outside the hive, in relation to the current position of the sun.
Yes, bees also use chemical signals through pheromones, vibrational and tactile signals, as well as specific sounds in certain circumstances. These different modes of communication often complement each other within the colony.
No, the famous 'bee dance' is primarily observed in the honeybee (Apis mellifera). Some related species may use similar signals but with variations, while others primarily communicate through chemical or acoustic means.
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