Al Lipscomb wrote:

> It seems to me that there is a basic need for some type of communication
> within a hive to direct foragers to the target.

        This is a tough one for a non-scientist like me.
       I've seen bees dance although the dance pattern is not as clear to me as
the diagrams in books make the patterns look.  I've lined bees by catching a
honeybee, letting it tank up on honey, marking it with a dust of corn starch,
and watching it take off.
        The return of the marked bee is a "wow!" moment, but the appearance of
other foragers is a "WOW!" moment. No other bees appeared while the first bee
was tanking up or returning to its colony.  They appear soon after the first
bee reappears.
        But yellowjackets appear at the picnic table in numbers. They don't
dance for each other and a yellowjacket colony has many fewer foragers than a
honeybee colony.
        I'm trying to keep an open mind and am hoping to read Adrian Wenner's
articles.
Tim
--
Tim Sterrett
[log in to unmask]
(southeastern) Pennsylvania, USA
40.0 N 75.5 W