1. | Researchers in the field of animal behavior have long been interested in the |
2. | ways animals and insects communicate. The most recent findings show that |
3. | honeybees communicate mostly through "dances." |
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4. | By performing certain dance routines, the workers let the other members know |
5. | of the location of a food source, its direction, and its distance. If the workers |
6. | spot pollen and nectar in the flowers near their hive, they do the circular dance. |
7. | On the other hand, when a food site is remote, they perform a figure-eight |
8. | waggle dance, in which the slow and fast tempo movements will inform the other |
9. | members of the distance to the food source. For instance, a slow waggle of the lower |
10. | part of the abdomen signifies a far-distance, demanding flight. Conversely, a rapid |
11. | waggle indicates a within-reach trip. Variations in the dance form exist among |
12. | different species. |
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13. | The bee's orientation on the comb is a key directional cue for other bees. In the |
14. | absence of sun light on the comb, the bees waggle moving straight up. If the |
15. | sun's polarized light penetrates the hive, the bees can orient themselves |
16. | toward the direction of the sun's rays. |