THE HONEY DANCE OF THE BEES

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 63, 11 September 1937, Page 27

THE HONEY DANCE OF THE BEES

/ ■'■' ■ ' : '■ ■■■■■' ' There is ample evidence that insects and other creatures that have developed highly organised communities have methods of conveying intelligence, says a writer in the "Sydney Morning Herald." ■•■. \ ■■.••■■■ .■ •■-;. ■

,j, Professor K. yon Frisch, of Munich . University, in a lecture delivered at "University College, London, after long and careful observation and experiment, described how bees told one an- ■ . other of the discovery of new supplies of food, and how they regulated the of workers sent to collect the ? food according to its quantity and quality. ■■;•■ : : ■ ' ,

When he wanted some bees for experiments, the professor was in. the habit of placing sheets" of paper smeared with honey in the open air. ■He found that often he-would have to 'wait for days for results, but that, ! after one bee had found the honey, !many more, often hundreds, would soon appear, all of them from the hive of the pioneer. It was obvious that the discovery had been announced in the hive.

To ascertain how this was done, the (hive was rearranged so that all the ! combs could be seen through glass objser'vation windows/1 and -the experilinental bees were distinctively marked.

The bee which had discovered the new feeding-place was watched when it returned to the hive. It delivered the food in.the usual way to other bees. Then, in the words of Professor yon Frisch. it began to dance.

On the same spot it turns round and |round in a circle with quick, tripping little steps, once to the right, once to the left, very vigorously, often half a minute or a full minute on the same spot. The dance is often repeated on another spot. Then the bee hurries

to the hole of the hive and returns to the feeding-place. ' The bees on the wax comb around the dancing.bee become greatly excited by the dance; they trip behind the dancer, following all its turning movements. They turn their heads to it and keep their feelers as closely as possible to its body, and it is evident that they are,highly interested. Suddenly one of the following bees and then another turns away, cleans its wings and antennae, and leaves the hive. Soon afterwards these new bees appear at the food-place. After homing, they dance also, and, the more bees there are dancing in the hive, the moor. appear at the feedingplace. It is clear that the existence of the food is communicated by the dance in the hive. :.... . • ,

'Further experiments by the professor showed that the bees did not fly directly to the new supply of food, but spread through their flying district, taking in every source within it, but paying attention only to the same kind of source. It was evident from experiments made by dosing different plants with attractive food that the returning bees must report to the hive, by scent, not only the presence of food, but what kind of flowers secreted it.

: As-long as there, is a plentiful supply of food with a high concentration of sugar in the places that are visited, the dances upon the return to the hive are vigorous, and an increasing flow of bees is attracted, but, as the supply and the quality diminish; the dances decline!. This, Professor yon Frisch points out, results in the greatest number of workers being attracted to the richest and most useful supplies.

Professor yon Frisch's fascinating /work is described, with some details of his experiments, in the current issue of "Science Progress." '