Communication is a dynamic and complex process that shapes our relationships, our
decisions, and connects us to different people across the globe. The most common way of
communicating in humans is verbally and through the use of different media. However,
communication through art forms has also swept the world off its feet in allowing people to
express their opinions in poignant and eye catching ways.
In the intricate world of the insect kingdom, honeybees don’t just stand out in their role of
honey production but also in their funky communication system: dancing. Waggle dancing is the most common type of dance that the bees perform with the purpose of explaining the
distance, direction and desirability of a nectar source. This involves the honey bee (usually
female) finding a food source (usually a flower) and if it’s up to their standards, the bee
would return to the hive and do a dance that almost looks like a figure 8 of a bee dancing
back and forth and then waggling her butt. This waggling is key because the angle at which
she is waggling and the duration of time she spends doing it actually tells bees where to go to find food. The duration of the waggle run tells her hive mates how far away the food is,
and the angle of the bee points to the direction to the food source.
Not only do these booty-shaking worker bees communicate through the movement of
dancing, but also through the sounds and vibrations that come from doing this dance.
This vibrational signal is called the stop signal which occurs when a dancing bee goes
up to another bee. This other bee will then butt their head against the dancer, causing
the dancer to freeze, inhibiting her dancing. This is because if something dangerous is at
the food source, for example, a spider, the bee is told to stop dancing and stop telling
her nest mates to go somewhere that’s bad.
The waggle dance is the most used and prominent form of dancing in the bee kingdom,
but we mustn’t forget that humans have different styles of dancing, and thus, so do bees.
These include: The round, cleaning, joy, massage, alarm, tremble, shake and finally, the
whir dance. All of these have different specific functions and would severely increase
the length of this article so I will not be going into detail about all of them, just the fun
ones. Firstly, the cleaning dance involves the bees stamping their tiny feet and shaking
in order to have another bee clean them. Talk about having a tantrum! The massage
dance involves the bees requesting a massage by moving in a certain angle in which
other bees respond to by pulling their leg joints and touching their sides. Even bees
need massages sometimes. Finally, the round dance involves the bees getting a little bit
excited by nectar that they may have found within 10 meters of where the bees are. This
involves the bees running in small circles, exactly like how little children would if they
got excited.
In conclusion, these amazing choreographies break the boundaries of the insect
kingdom, shedding light on the sensational intelligence that bees and many other insects
possess. These miniscule creatures are a testament to the harmony and collaboration that
brings life to our world.
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