AP BIOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -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-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: -The waggle dance-the direction the bee moves in relation to the hive indicates direction; if it moves vertically the direction to the source is directly towards the Sun. The duration of the waggle part of the dance signifies the distance.

Detailed explanation-4: -The foraging ‘scouts’ of the honeybees can travel up to 14km from their nest to find the best source of nectar. In order to communicate what they’ve found and where it is, they dance: ‘round dances’ and ‘waggle dances’. The ‘round dance’ signals to their nest-mates that there is a lucrative pollen area nearby.

Detailed explanation-5: -This waggle dance is used by successful foragers to convey information about both the direction and distance to food sources. Nest mates can use this spatial information, increasing their chances of locating the food source.