Dance Language Of

Honey Bees

Submitted To :- Submitted By :- Dr O.P. Chaudhary Vaibhav Dept. of Entomology

Descovery -• Karl von Frisch, 1886-1982• Austrian, began work in 1919• Trained European honey bees,

Apis mellifera, to feeders• First believed bees used

flower scents or other odors to find food sources

• Began to pay close attention to dances performed by returning foragers– Dances very precise, with

varying tempo and direction

Karl von Frisch described the dances

1. “Round dance”• When food source is < 50 m from hive• After distributing some of her new- found nectar to waiting bees the scout will begin running in a small circle, switching direction.• After the dance ends food is again distributed at this or some other place on the comb and the dance may be repeated three or (rarely) more times.• The round dance does not give directional information.

2. “Waggle dance”

When food source is > 50 meters away

Waggle run- Abdomen wagging and wing fluttering-Angle repeated with respect to vertical, or gravity (here 20° right)

By moving feeder to different angles and locations -• Number of waggles per run correlates with distance to food source (more= farther)• Dance “tempo” (slower= farther) • The duration of the dance (longer= better food)

Other bees follow the dancer (“audience”)

SCOUT: finds new food sources & dances

RECRUITS: follow dances & then forage

Direction of the food source isindicated by the direction the dancer faces during theStraight portion of the dancewhen the bee is waggling. Ifshe waggles while facingstraight upward, than the

foodsource may be found in thedirection of the sun.

If she waggles atan angle 60 degreesto the left ofupward the foodsource may befound 60 degreesto the left of thesun.

If the dancer waggles 120degrees to the right ofupward, the food sourcemay be found 210 degreesto the right of the sun.The dancer emits soundsduring the waggle run thathelp the recruitsdetermine direction in thedarkness of the hive.

Waggle dance says…1) DIRECTION:- Angle of waggle run2) DISTANCE:- Number of waggles per run - Dance tempo (# of circuits per unit time) 3) QUALITY:- The duration of the dance (total waggle runs)4) TASTE AND SMELL:- Dancer gives free samples*** ROUND DANCE- only for nearby sources, detailed

info not provided

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