Animals / Other species / Interesting and useful

Why do bees dance?

Honeybees are unique creatures not only because they produce honey, propolis and royal jelly, but also because of the way they use extraordinary communication methods.

The bees dance to inform other bees the location of the flowers where they can collect nectar and pollen.

This process is called the "bee dance" and was first discovered and described by Nobel laureate Carl von Fries in the 1920s. The scientist studied how bees change the angle of their body movements depending on the specific message they wanted to convey. Bees have a large repertoire of movements, sometimes differing only in subtle differences that are almost imperceptible to the human eye. 

When the bees find a food source, they approach their hive following a horizontal path in the shape of a figure eight. This movement is accompanied by a swaying of the abdomen from side to side. It is called "waggle dance". With the help of these movements, the bees transmit information to other bees at what distance and in what direction the food source is. For example, the angle at which the bees perform their waggle dance tells other bees which way to fly when they leave the entrance to the hive.

The waggle dance is a difficult process which is necessary for the bees survival and the plants they pollinate. This behavior includes precise movements and signals, is genetically inherent in bees and confirms the ingenuity and adaptability of these amazing insects.

Authentication required

You must log in to post a comment.

Log in
There are no comments yet.