AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Distance. When food is within 50–75 meters of the hive, the scouts dance the “round dance” on the surface of the comb (left). But when the food is farther than 75 meters from the hive, the scouts dance the “waggle dance” (right).

Detailed explanation-2: -When a worker discovers a good source of nectar or pollen (note the pollen spores dusting this bee’s back), she will return to the hive to perform a waggle dance to let her nest mates know where it lies. A bee performs the waggle dance when she wants to inform other bees of a nectar source she has found.

Detailed explanation-3: -A waggle dance, or wag-tail dance, is performed by bees foraging at food sources that are over 150 meters away from the hive. This dance, unlike the round and sickle dances, communicates both distance and direction to potential recruits.

Detailed explanation-4: -The waggle dance (see Figure 7.23B and C) tells bees the direction and distance to fly to find more distant food sources. Scout bees use these dances to recruit assistance in collecting food. Similar dances are used to help find a new home when bees swarm.

Detailed explanation-5: -The round dance is performed by the forager bee when the food source is located in the immediate vicinity of the hive. Karl von Frisch determined that the critical distance for switching between the round dance and the waggle dance exists at 50 meters away from the hive.