Summary
Waggle dance activity associated with seasonal absconding (migration) was investigated in two colonies of the African honey bee. Prior to absconding, waggle dances regularly communicated distances up to 10–20 km from the nests. However, compared to waggle dances observed during nonabsconding periods, those occurring prior to migration were less associated with food sources, occurred during periods of little or no flight activity, and exhibited great variability in the communication of distance by consecutive waggle runs of individual bees. It is therefore unlikely that “migration dances” communicated the locations of, or stimulated immediate recruitment for, specific foraging or nesting sites. Rather, the dances may have functioned to establish a general route of travel. The majority of migration dances observed were oriented in an easterly direction, and upon departure both colonies traveled towards the E-SE. The orientation of migration dances occurred independently of the directions communicated by waggle dances associated with past foraging success or the sampling of alternate foraging areas. Migration dance orientation may have been affected by prevailing wind directions, because during the migration period winds blew primarily from the east. However, it is unlikely that wind direction was the only factor influencing migration dance orientation. The lack of immediate flight activity associated with migration dance performance suggests the dances may have gradually prepared colonies for migratory movement by conveying a message to fly for a long, but unspecified distance in a certain direction. Waggle dances associated with migration may therefore function differently from those associated with foraging and nest site selection, which convey both the distance and direction to specific locations.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Dyer, F. C. and T. D. Seeley, 1991. Dance dialects and foraging range in three Asian honey bee species.Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 28:227–233.
Dyer, F. C. and T. D. Seeley, 1994. Colony migration in the tropical honey beeApis dorsata Fab. (Hymenoptera: Apidae).Ins. Soc. 41.
Fletcher, D. J. C., 1978. The African honey bee,Apis mellifera adansonii, in Africa.Ann. Rev. Entomol. 23:151–171.
Fletcher, D. J. C., 1991. Interdependence of genetics and ecology in a solution to the African bee problem. In:The “African” Honey Bee (M. Spivak, D. J. C. Fletcher and M. D. Breed, eds.), Westview Press, Boulder, Colorado, pp. 77–94.
Griffiths, J. F., 1976.Climate and the Environment. Westview Press, Boulder, Colorado.
Koeniger, N. and G. Koeniger, 1980. Observations and experiments on migration and dance communication ofApis dorsata in Sri Lanka.J. Apic. Res. 19:21–34.
Lindauer, M., 1955. Schwarmbienen auf Wohnungssuche.A. Vergleich. Physiol. 37:263–324.
McNally, L. C. and S. S. Schneider, 1992. Seasonal cycles of growth, development and movement of the African honey bee,Apis mellifera scutellata, in Africa.Ins. Soc. 39:167–179.
Michelsen, A., B. B. Andersen, J. Strom, W. H. Kirchner and M. Lindauer, 1992. How honeybees perceive communication dances, studied by means of a mechanical model.Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 30:143–150.
Otis, G. W., 1991. Population biology of the Africanized honey bee. In: The “African” Honey Bee (M. Spivak, D. J. C. Fletcher and M. D. Breed, eds.), Westview Press, Boulder, Colorado, pp. 213–234.
Otis, G. W., M. L. Winston and O. Taylor, 1981. Engorgement and dispersal of Africanized honeybee swarms.J. Apic. Res. 20:3–12.
Ratnieks, F. L. W., 1991. Africanized bees: natural selection for colonizing ability. In: The “African” Honey Bee (M. Spivak, D. J. C. Fletcher and M. D. Breed, eds.), Westview Press, Boulder, Colorado, pp. 119–136.
Rinderer, T. E., 1988. Evolutionary aspects of the Africanization of honey-bee populations in the Americas. In: Proceedings of the International Conference on Africanized Honey Bees and Bee Mites (G. R. Needham, R. E. Page, Jr., M. Delfinado-Baker and C. Bowman, eds.), Westview Press, Boulder, Colorado, p. 13–28.
Schneider, S. S., 1987. The modulation of worker activity by the vibration dance of the honeybee.Apis mellifera. Ethology 74:211–218.
Schneider, S. S., 1989. Spatial foraging patterns of the African honey bee,Apis mellifera scutellata.J. Insect Behav. 2:505–521.
Schneider, S. S., 1990. Nest characteristics and recruitment behavior of absconding colonies of the African honey bee,Apis mellifera scutellata, in Africa.J. Insect Behav. 3:225–240.
Schneider, S. and R. Blyther, 1988. The habitat and nesting biology of the African honey bee,Apis mellifera scutellata, in the Okavango River Delta, Botwana, Africa.Ins. Soc. 35:167–181.
Schneider, S. S. and L. C. McNally, 1991. The vibration dance behavior of queenless workers of the honey bee,Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae).J. Insect Behav. 4:319–332.
Schneider, S. S. and L. C. McNally, 1992 a. Factors influencing seasonal absconding in colonies of the African honey bee,Apis mellifera scutellata.Ins. Soc. 39:403–423.
Schneider, S. S. and L. C. McNally, 1992b. Seasonal patterns of foraging activity in colonies of the African honey bee,Apis mellifera scutellata, in Africa.Ins. Soc. 39:181–193.
Schneider, S. S. and L. C. McNally, 1993. Spatial foraging patterns and colony energy status in the African honey bee,Apis mellifera scutellata.J. Insect Behav. 6:195–210.
Schneider, S. S., J. A. Stamps and N. E. Gary, 1986a. The vibration dance of the honey bee. I. Communication regulating foraging on two time scales.Anim. Behav. 34:377–385.
Schneider, S. S., J. A. Stamps and N. E. Gary, 1986b. The vibration dance of the honey bee. II. The effects of foraging success on daily patterns of vibration activity.Anim. Behav. 34:386–391.
Seeley, T. D., 1985.Honeybee Ecology. Princeton University Press, New Jersey.
Seeley, T. D., 1986. Social foraging by honeybees: how colonies allocate foragers among patches of flowers.Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 19:343–354.
Seeley, T. D., 1989. Social foraging in honey bees: how nectar foragers assess their colony's nutritional status.Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 24:181–199.
Seeley, T. D., S. Camazine and J. Sneyd, 1991. Collective decision-making in honey bees: how colonies choose among nectar sources.Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 28:277–290.
Sinclair, A. R. E., 1983. The function of distance movements in vertebrates. In: The ecology of animal movements (I. R. Swingland and P. J. Greenwood, eds.), Clarendon Press, New York, New York, pp. 240–258.
USAF ETAC, 1970. Air Weather Service, N Summary No. 29. Washington, D. C.
Visscher, P. K. and T. D. Seeley, 1982. Foraging strategy of honeybee colonies in a temperate deciduous forest.Ecology 63:1790–1801.
von Frisch, K. O., 1967.The Dance Language and Orientation of Bees. Belknap Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Winston, M. L., 1987.The Biology of the Honey Bee. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Winston, M. L., G. W. Otis and O. R. Taylor, Jr., 1979. Absconding behaviour of the Africanized honeybee in South America.J. Apic Res. 18:85–94.
Woyke, J., 1976. Brood rearing and absconding of tropical honey bees. In: African Bees: Taxonomy, Biology, and Economic Use (D. J. C. Fletcher, ed.). Apimondia, Pretoria, South Africa, pp. 96–102.
Zar, J. H., 1974.Biostatistical Analysis. Prentice-Hall, Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Schneider, S.S., McNally, L.C. Waggle dance behavior associated with seasonal absconding in colonies of the African honey bee,Apis mellifera scutellata . Ins. Soc 41, 115–127 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01240472
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01240472