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Busy Busy Bees

Short answer: Honey bees use the waggle dance to tell nestmates where to find food, water or new nest sites.

A returning forager runs a figure-eight on the comb; the angle of the straight 'waggle run' relative to vertical shows the direction of the food relative to the Sun, and the duration of the waggle shows the distance. Karl von Frisch decoded the dance and shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his work on bee behavior. The footage shows bees on flowers and in the hive, with the presenter.

VideoWrite-up1 sources
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What should you know about Busy Busy Bees?

Quick facts. Each one stands alone and has a stable ID you can cite.

  1. The waggle dance tells bees where food is.

    DD-174-F01 · Write-up · Exhibit A (Directions)

  2. Foragers dance a figure-eight on the comb.

    DD-174-F02 · Write-up · Exhibit B (Figure-eight)

Video transcript: Busy Busy Bees: Honey Bees Give Directions by Dancing

Bees communicate through intricate dances known as the waggle dance. DID YOU KNOW? When a forager bee returns to the hive after finding a source of food it performs this dance to convey the location and distance of the resource to other bees. The angle and duration of the dance provide precise information allowing fellow bees to navigate to the food source with remarkable accuracy. This sophisticated form of communication helps the hive efficiently exploit floral resources. NOW YOU KNOW!

Burned-in captions, read frame by frame (see transcript.md) · 23.8s Reel ·

Video coming soonBusy Busy Bees · Instagram Reel
Busy Busy Bees: Honey Bees Give Directions by Dancing Instagram Reel · · 23.8s

The write-up

Honey bees give directions by dancing. The dance angle points the way; its length gives distance.

  1. Exhibit A

    Directions

    The waggle dance tells bees where food is.

  2. Exhibit B

    Figure-eight

    Foragers dance a figure-eight on the comb.

  3. Exhibit C

    Angle

    The waggle angle shows direction relative to the Sun.

  4. Exhibit D

    Duration

    The waggle's length shows distance.

  5. Exhibit E

    von Frisch

    Karl von Frisch decoded it and shared the 1973 Nobel.

Questions people ask about Busy Busy Bees

What does the waggle dance communicate?

Direction and distance.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Directions) · Wikipedia: Waggle dance

What shape do foragers dance?

With a waggle run.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Figure-eight) · Wikipedia: Waggle dance

What does the angle show?

Measured from vertical.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Angle) · Wikipedia: Waggle dance

What does the waggle's duration show?

Longer means farther.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Duration) · Wikipedia: Waggle dance

Who decoded the dance?

Nobel Prize 1973.

Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (von Frisch) · Wikipedia: Waggle dance

Test Your Knowledge

All quizzes →

5 questions, all from this case file. Answers are revealed instantly.

  1. What does the waggle dance communicate?

    1. Where food is
    2. A threat only
    3. The queen's age
    4. The weather
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. Where food is Direction and distance. Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Directions) · Wikipedia: Waggle dance

  2. What shape do foragers dance?

    1. A figure-eight
    2. A square
    3. A spiral
    4. A straight line only
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. A figure-eight With a waggle run. Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Figure-eight) · Wikipedia: Waggle dance

  3. What does the angle show?

    1. Direction relative to the Sun
    2. Distance
    3. Sweetness
    4. Hive size
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. Direction relative to the Sun Measured from vertical. Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Angle) · Wikipedia: Waggle dance

  4. What does the waggle's duration show?

    1. Distance
    2. Direction
    3. Flower color
    4. Time of day
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. Distance Longer means farther. Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Duration) · Wikipedia: Waggle dance

  5. Who decoded the dance?

    1. Karl von Frisch
    2. Darwin
    3. Pavlov
    4. Mendel
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. Karl von Frisch Nobel Prize 1973. Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (von Frisch) · Wikipedia: Waggle dance

Cite this case file

Easterling, Marcus. "Busy Busy Bees." The Detail Department (DetailEnjoyer), case file DD-174, last updated Jan 11, 2024. https://detailenjoyer.com/case/busy-busy-bees/

Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/busy-busy-bees/ · Last updated

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Cite a single fact by its ID, for example DD-174-F01 → https://detailenjoyer.com/case/busy-busy-bees/#DD-174-F01