ATTN:  All Honeybee dance language experts.
 
When you have a moment, perhaps you could consider the following.  There
is no urgency to the matter.=20
 
Jonathan Bennett (a philosopher) thought that (given the Dance Language
theory), bees would accept any dance as correct, even if it was obviously
false.  That is, even if the direction and distance conflicted with their
knowledge of the local terrain, the bees would still fly out of the hive
towards the place indicated in response to the false dance.=20
 
Gould + Gould tried to test this with their "lake" experiments, and the
results were somewhat inconclusive. I still wonder if there is a plausibl=
e
test after all.=20
 
Here is the background information I assume in the design:=20
 
 (discussion welcome here, but I am aware of all the problems the DL
theory is purported to have.  I'm trying to do an internal consistency
test here;  that is, _Assuming_ the DL theory, what is the expected resul=
t
of the following test).=20
 
1.  Bees indicate distance and direction through the dance. =20
 
2.  The distance indicated is a function of the distance flown, _and_ the
race of bee dancing.  (that is, carnolians indicate distance differently
than Italians). =20
 
3.  At any time in the hive, certain bees function as foragers, others as
scouts.  Scout bees tend to be older than foragers, but this is a functio=
n
of hive population, etc.=20
 
 
Here is the experiment:
 
1.  Make up a colony of =BD purebred Italians, and =BD purebred carnolian=
,
make sure the origin of the bee is obvious, either by colour, or by
marking the bees in some way.=20
 
2.  Do the standard Dance Language tests, however you should observe:=20
 
3.  If a Italian scout dances, the italian foragers should arrive at the
indicated place, while the carnolians arrive at some place farther from
the hive.  If a carnolian scout dances, the carnolians arrive at the
indicated place, the italians fall short.=20
 
 
Anticipated possible problems:=20
 
1.  The hive quickly solves its semantic problems by some correction
measure so that all bees dance the same.=20
 
2. The dance-language information and the bee=92s resulting actions isn=92=
t
precise enough to measure any difference between the bees of different
races.=20
 
Does this seem plausible and do-able to anyone?  Comments?
Has it already been done?
 
 
I appreciate your time.
 
Phil
--=20
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Phil Veldhuis           | If I must be a fool, as all those who reason
Winnipeg. MB, Canada    | or believe any thing certainly are, my follies
[log in to unmask] | shall at least be natural and agreeable.
                                                David Hume (1739)