I have been following the dance language controversy.  Some of us are  
interested in bees as a vocation, some as a science & some just for  
the interest.

I feel as though I cross the gambit as I'm a side liner who is an  
entomologist and just love bees.

I went to a presentation yesterday, that I have seen before, on  
"House hunting by bees" as given by Dr. Tom Seeley  where he explains  
how scout bees form a consensus by forming a quorum to decide between  
a good home and a moderate home using the Dance Language.  House  
scouts return & conduct a dance, which based on angle from vertical &  
dance distance indicate location of prospective future hive site.

Could any  dance language opponents who have seen Tom's publications  
on this explain to the group how the directional & distance cues  
( angle of the dance from vertical & intensity of the waggle )  
relayed to the other home scouts does or does not convey  
information.  Is not the conveyance of this information not a  
language?  This system presumably removes odor from the equation.

Tom's study, conducted on a remote island, with only his hive  
locations seem to prove that he can judge from the dances which  
distance & hive location the dancers are selecting.  He uses small  
swarms, individually labeled bees & video camera's which he goes back  
over to remove very specific data for his publications.

IMHO it would seem the argument is more over what constitutes a  
language & not that information is being passed amongst bees.


Mike Griggs
Entomologist/ Support Scientist
Plant Protection Research Unit
USDA ARS, U.S. Plant, Soil & Nutrition Lab.
Tower Road, Ithaca, NY  14853
http://www.ars.usda.gov/naa/ithaca/ppru

phone:  607-255-1085
fax:        607-255-1132
email:    [log in to unmask]



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