Why do bees dance?
Show answer & explanation
Answer: Communicating food locations
Courtship ritual for mating — Wrong. Bee dances aren't mating behavior—they're communication system. Waggle dance conveys food source location/quality to hive mates.
Communicating food locations ✓ — Correct! Spatial communication! Waggle dance: figure-8 pattern communicating flower location. Information encoded: (1) Angle—sun direction vs food direction. (2) Duration—distance to source (1 sec ≈ 1km). (3) Vigor—food quality. Round dance: food nearby (<50m). Von Frisch discovered this (Nobel Prize). Bees dance on vertical comb in dark hive—gravity substitutes for sun reference. Remarkable navigation and abstract communication in insects!
Warming up flight muscles — Wrong. Bees do warm muscles through shivering, but waggle dance specifically communicates food source location/distance to colony.
More Animal Behavior questions
- When should you worry if a cat suddenly gets very clingy?
- A cat suddenly yowls more on spring nights. Which conclusion is weakest?
- Which claim about cats in spring is safest?
- A cat cuddles you in a sunbeam. Why might it choose that spot?
- Why may an open window make a cat patrol more?
- When a cat rubs your leg, what else may it be doing?