Sound production during the waggle dance of the honey bee

Abstract

1. 1. A pulsed sound of approximately 200 cps. which is produced during the straight run of the honey bee waggle dance is described. The presence of this sound provides a new possibility for explaining the method whereby information about the distance of the food source from the hive is communicated among bees. Besides the elements considered by von Frisch & Jander (1957), sound production time during the straight run and number of pulses present in the straight run are each shown to be also capable of carrying distance information. Since the ratio of the sound pulse rate to waggle rate is approximately 2·5 to 1, the sound is not an incidental result of waggling of the abdomen by the dancing bee. 2. 2. The complete run time, straight run sound production time, and number of sound pulses were all graphically found to be more closely related to the distance of the food source from the hive than the circle run time. These three remaining components were not found to be significantly different from each other on the basis of raw data. 3. 3. The results of a variation analysis of complete run time, straight run time, and circle run time indicate that variability of the complete run time can largely be attributed to variability of the circle run time. 4. 4. The effect of wind is greater on the straight run time than on either complete run time or circle run time. Also, that variability in the complete run time which is due to an effect of wind can largely be attributed to the effect of wind on the straight run time. This information, together with that from 3 (above), shows that the average complete run time is mainly a sum of average circle run time and average straight run time and probably does not transmit distance information in its own right. Since the average complete run time of this study must be equivalent to the average complete run time of the study of von Frisch & Jander, the complete run time of their study can also be eliminated as a possibility for transmitting distance information. 5. 5. The straight run time and number of sound pulses present in the straight run were found to be inseparable on the basis of available data. Either of these two components was found to be a better possibility for transmitting distance information than any of the other components of the dance which were covered in this study. Neither of these two components can be directly compared to the straight run waggle time or number of waggles produced during the straight run ( von Frisch & Jander, 1957). Such a comparison must await further experimentation. 6. 6. The following four components (or a combination of any of these four) of the honey bee waggle dance now remain as best possibilities for conveying the information about distance of the food source from the hive: 6.1. (a) time of waggling during the straight run. 6.2. (b) number of waggles produced during the straight run. 6.3. (c) time of sound production during the straight run. 6.4. (d) number of sound pulses produced during the straight run. 7. 7. Analysis of wind effects reveals that bees signal the flight time out to the food source, not the flight time of the return trip. 8. 8. The sound pulse rate did not vary appreciably with temperature. Although the sound pulse rate did vary with distance, the amount of change was slight and the significance was marginal. 9. 9. The interpretation of the results of the step-experiments (Stüfenversuchen) of von Frisch and co-workers is questionable, since a performance much poorer than that given by the standard deviation of the results, coupled with bees visiting more than one of the unevenly spaced stations, would give similar results. 10. 10. The possible use of sound by honey bees in communicating information about the distance of a food source from the hive is discussed.