First Observations as a New Beekeeper - Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper - page 51

It did not take long for me to become comfortable opening up my hive and working
withmybees.Beforeeachinspection,Iwentthroughthesequenceofeventsinmyhead
before actually proceeding. I discovered this mental review helped me not to forget any
important details. Afterward, I always recorded my hive visits and observations in my
beekeeper's journal, so I could accurately report any interesting or unusual activity to
Mr. B. These records helped me especially when I had a question or concern about the
hive or the bees' behavior. I looked forward to each visit as a new adventure in honey-
bee education and welcomed every opportunity to observe the bees' behavior. On first
observation, worker bees seem to have a simple approach to life, yet the complex and
harmonious workings inside the hive tell another story. In time, I would be able to read
their behavior. For example, it became clear that on bright, sunny days and when there
was plenty of pollen and nectar, the bees seemed quite content. On days when there
was little food for them to forage, they were defensive. Beekeeping gave me immense
pleasure and purpose. And my bees were always teaching me something about nature
and life.
H ONEYBEE C OMMUNICATION
In order to communicate information to their sisters, worker bees have developed a
sophisticated system of dancing around the hive. A honeybee that returns to the hive
will do a dance telling her sisters where sources of nectar, pollen, water, or propolis can
befound.Thesedancingbeesarecalled scout bees ,andtheirdancesarecalledthe wag-
tail dance and the round dance . Through these dances a honeybee can communicate
distance, direction, and the quality and quantity of the food source by using the direc-
tion of the sun. First, each worker smells and tastes a sample of the prized floral source
that the scout has brought back to the hive. Then they observe the scout's dance.
The wagtail dance is preformed on the vertical honeycombs inside the hive, and
the steps create a figure-eight pattern. To picture the pattern, first envision the face
of a clock. The dance begins at six o'clock with a short walk and wiggle straight up
to twelve noon. Then the bee moves to the right, past one, two, three, four, and five
o'clock, to reach six again. Another walk and wiggle take the bee up to twelve again,
but this time she turns left, moving past eleven, ten, nine, eight, and seven o'clock, and
backtosixagain.Theangleofthestepsindicatethelocationofthefoodsourcerelative
to the sun. If the forager bee dances for a short time, the source is nearby, and if her
dance lasts longer than a few seconds, the source could be more than one mile away.