Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
(a)
Fig. 6.25
Recruitment to a
new nest site by
the waggle dance
of the honeybee.
(a) A scout from a
swarm waiting in
the left-hand tree
has found a
potential new nest
site in the tree on
the right, 1500 m
away and 40°
clockwise from the
sun. (b) The scout
performs a waggle
dance on the
surface of the
swarm. She signals
the direction of
the new nest site
by the angle of the
waggle run from
the vertical, the
distance by the
duration of the
straight waggle
run and the quality
of the site by the
speed with which
she repeats the
waggle run. From
Franks et al .
(2002), after
Seeley (1995).
1500 m
(b)
quality
direction
velocity
distance
reached and just one site is danced for vigorously. Colony consensus occurs through
scouts examining the dances of other bees and switches in allegiance from one site to
another. It is not yet known what determines when voting ceases and a final decision is
made; this may be when there is a critical threshold of scouts signalling one direction
back at the swarm, or of scouts assembling at a new site. However, once the decision is
made the swarm speeds off in tight formation like a missile, with the scouts (about 5%
of the swarm) guiding the rest. Experiments reveal that scouts whose Nasanov glands
are sealed (and which, therefore, cannot release pheromones) can still guide the swarm
just as effectively to a new site, so the cue is a visual one (Beekman et al ., 2006). The
scouts fly fast through the swarm and the rest follow, presumably using local rules, like
those discussed for fish shoaling.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search