Page 90 - The Miracle of the Honeybee

88 THE MIRACLE OF THE HONEYBEE

The sickle-shaped transition dance performed by very different species of bee

proximately 13 to 15 times a second.
By varying the angle between the waggling run and an imaginary line
running straight up and down, the bee conveys the direction of the food
source. If a line is drawn which connects the food source and the hive, and
another line which connects the hive and the spot on the horizon immedi-
ately below the sun, then the angle formed by the two is observed to be the
same as that of the angle in the waggle dance. Just like civil engineers, the
bees are able to triangulate. 75
Throughout the oscillatory movement in the waggle dance, the bee’s
abdomen is the most important organ. A buzzing sound is given off
thanks to vibrations from the muscles and exoskeleton. At the end of each
straight line, the bee turns in one direction and makes a semi-circular re-
turn to her starting point. She then moves forward again in a straight line,
making a semi-circular return in the exact opposite direction. As with the
round dance, the waggle dance ends with the dancer stopping and dis-
tributing food from its honey stomach to the workers around it. The bees
watching the dance may sometimes produce a sound lasting from a tenth
to two-tenths of a second. This causes the dancer to stop and exchange
food with the buzzing bees. Both nectar and pollen gatherers dance in the
same way.
The bees watching this dance are easily able to locate the food source.
One feature that establishes distance is the dance tempo, measured by the
number of turns every 15 seconds, and the duration of waggling and
buzzing on every straight line. For more distant food sources, the dance
tempo slows and speeds up for closer ones. The time spent in the straight