Honeybees possess an effective communication system known as the waggle dance, a specialized sequence of movements that allows them to share precise information about valuable resources. This intricate form of animal communication is primarily used to direct nestmates to sources of nectar and pollen, which are important for the colony’s survival and growth. The waggle dance ensures that other bees can locate profitable food patches efficiently, even if they are far from the hive. This complex behavior highlights the advanced social organization within honeybee colonies.
The Intricate Steps of the Dance
A foraging bee, upon returning to the hive, performs a figure-eight pattern on the vertical comb to communicate food source location. This dance consists of two main phases: the “waggle run” and the “return phase.” During the waggle run, the bee moves in a straight line while rapidly vibrating its abdomen from side to side at a rate of 13-15 times per second, often producing sounds by vibrating its wings. This straight run is the most informative part of the dance, conveying both direction and distance.
The direction of the waggle run corresponds to the direction of the food source relative to the sun’s position outside the hive. For instance, if the waggle run is directed straight upwards on the comb, it indicates that the food source is in the same direction as the sun. The duration of the waggle run signals the distance to the food source; a longer waggle run means the food is farther away. For every 75 milliseconds the bee prolongs the waggle, the indicated distance increases by approximately 330 feet. The vigor of the dance also reflects the quality of the food source, with more vigorous dances indicating richer resources.
How Bees Interpret the Information
Follower bees gather around the dancing bee, sensing the information conveyed in the dark hive through multiple cues. They use their antennae to detect tactile cues and vibrations produced by the dancer. Followers align their antennae with the dancer’s body angle, and this antennal positioning, combined with their internal sense of gravity, helps them decode the dance’s directional information. This allows them to translate the dance’s angle relative to gravity into a flight direction relative to the sun.
The duration of the waggle run is also interpreted through these sensory inputs. Bees can also gather olfactory information, as the dancing bee often carries the scent of the food source on its body or shares regurgitated nectar, providing a direct sample of the floral odor. This combination of tactile, vibrational, and olfactory cues enables the follower bees to construct a mental “map” of the food source’s location. The neural circuits in their brains process this antennal information into a navigational flight vector.
The Role of the Waggle Dance in Colony Life
The waggle dance plays an important role in the efficient foraging strategies and collective decision-making of a honeybee colony. By communicating the location of food sources, the dance allows the colony to quickly mobilize its foraging force to exploit new opportunities. This rapid recruitment to rich patches of nectar and pollen directly contributes to the colony’s ability to gather sufficient resources, supporting its growth and survival.
The dance floor within the hive acts as a hub for information exchange, where the colony assesses the most profitable resources. While individual foragers can find food independently, the waggle dance improves the colony’s foraging efficiency, especially when food sources are scattered, variable in profitability, or difficult to locate. This collective intelligence, facilitated by the waggle dance, allows the colony to optimize its foraging efforts and allocate its workforce effectively.
Historical Insights and Variations
The discovery and decoding of the honeybee waggle dance are credited to Austrian ethologist Karl von Frisch. His extensive research revealed the meaning behind the bees’ intricate movements. This work earned him a Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1973, recognizing his contributions to understanding animal communication.
While the waggle dance is characteristic of honeybees, variations exist among different species of Apis. For instance, Apis florea, an open-nesting species, performs its dance on a horizontal surface and directly points towards the goal rather than using gravity as a reference. These “distance dialects” reflect how the duration of the waggle run relates to flight distance, and they evolved to optimize communication over each species’ typical foraging ranges. Beyond foraging, the waggle dance can also communicate the location of water sources or potential new nest sites during swarming, demonstrating its versatility in colony communication.