The bees' dance

Bees are equipped with a complex language system that uses chemoreception that stimulates the tactile, visual and auditory senses. Some researchers have discovered two fundamental mechanisms used by Hymenoptera to communicate with each other.

The circular dance, used when the food source is near, consists of a series of small circles first in one direction and then in the other. When the bee has repeated the dance several times, she leaves the hive and the other bees, excited by the dance, follow her. They fly in a circle around the hive until they locate the food.

The tail dance, used when the food source is far away, is performed in a way that informs other bees of the direction and distance from the food source. It is performed on a surface of the beehive and consists of three phases: a semicircular walk, a forward run and a new walk, in the opposite direction to the first, which completes the circle.

1) A forager shows the direction of the source of nectar in relation to the sun.

2) The duration of the dance indicates how far the nectar is.

3) The quality of the source is determined by the intensity of the dance.