When a forager returns from an abundant food source, she will regurgitate some of the nectar and pass it on to other foragers on the dance floor. Straight up is always the position of the sun on the dance floor, so if she then performs her waggle dance at an angle 60 degrees to the right of straight up, other foragers know that they will have to fly 60 degrees to the right of the position of the sun to find the nectar source. Since bees can see polarized light, they can still use the sun’s position for direction even on a cloudy day.
There is a dance floor in every honey bee hive. It is located on the surface of the wax comb near the entrance of the hive. Foragers who have found a good source of nectar will perform a series of motions (dance) here to tell other foragers where to find this nectar source. Honey bees are one of the only animals other than humans who are able to tell another member of their species where something is without having to show it to them.
The waggle dance tells other bees not only how far away the food source is, but also in what direction. Distance is roughly determined by the duration of the dance. A longer dance indicates a greater distance from the hive. The direction another bee must fly to reach the nectar source is determined by the angle the bee dances relative to the position of the sun.
More Information: https://bee-health.extension.org/dance-language-of-the-honey-bee/
Jen Haeger is a new master beekeeper and board member of A2B2.