# Busy Busy Bees (DD-174)

> 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.

- Department: Nature (also Science)
- First published: 2024-01-11
- Last updated: 2024-01-11
- Permalink: https://detailenjoyer.com/case/busy-busy-bees/
- Original Reel title: Busy Busy Bees 🐝
- Author: Marcus Easterling (DetailEnjoyer), The Detail Department

## On the timeline

- **1973**: Karl von Frisch shares the Nobel Prize

Full timeline: https://detailenjoyer.com/timeline/?case=busy-busy-bees

## Quick facts

- **DD-174-F01**: The waggle dance tells bees where food is. _(Write-up · Exhibit A (Directions))_
- **DD-174-F02**: Foragers dance a figure-eight on the comb. _(Write-up · Exhibit B (Figure-eight))_

## Write-up

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

1. **Directions**: The waggle dance tells bees where food is.
2. **Figure-eight**: Foragers dance a figure-eight on the comb.
3. **Angle**: The waggle angle shows direction relative to the Sun.
4. **Duration**: The waggle's length shows distance.
5. **von Frisch**: Karl von Frisch decoded it and shared the 1973 Nobel.

## Related case files

- [Nectar Collectors (DD-175)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/nectar-collectors/): I linked more pollinators
- [Sun Seekers (DD-172)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/sun-seekers/): I linked the pollinators that sunflowers draw in
- [Cliffside Honey Heist (DD-351)](https://detailenjoyer.com/case/cliffside-honey-heist/): I linked more bees

## Reel vs. record

- **Note**: None needed.

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

- Duration: 23.8 s · Published: 2024-01-11
- File: https://detailenjoyer.com/assets/videos/C19iN3eu-u6.mp4

### Transcript

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!

## Questions & answers

**Q: What does the waggle dance communicate?**  
A: Direction and distance. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit A (Directions) · Wikipedia: Waggle dance)_

**Q: What shape do foragers dance?**  
A: With a waggle run. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit B (Figure-eight) · Wikipedia: Waggle dance)_

**Q: What does the angle show?**  
A: Measured from vertical. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit C (Angle) · Wikipedia: Waggle dance)_

**Q: What does the waggle's duration show?**  
A: Longer means farther. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit D (Duration) · Wikipedia: Waggle dance)_

**Q: Who decoded the dance?**  
A: Nobel Prize 1973. _(Source: Write-up · Exhibit E (von Frisch) · Wikipedia: Waggle dance)_

## Sources

- [Wikipedia: Waggle dance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/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/