Honeybee waggle dances: the “energy hypothesis” and thermoregulatory behavior of foragers

Abstract

Honeybees were trained to visit artificial feeding sites containing a 2 mol·1^-1 sucrose solution. To reach the feeder they either had to walk through 3 m of Teflon tube, or fly 20 m or 65 m and then walk through 3 m of tube. Only individuals that flew at least 65 m performed waggle dances. The distance indicated in these waggle dances, judged by the number of wagging movements per wagrun, was the same regardless of whether individuals had to run an additional 3 m of tube after flight or not. The energy needed during walking after flight was determined by measuring O₂ consumption. All individuals attempted to regulate their body temperatures between 36 and 42°C during walking and feeding (O₂ consumption=40μl·min^-1 per bee). Calculations show that this walking through 3 m of tube requires as much energy as flying 128 m (difference between thoracic and ambient temperature=15°C). This energy expenditure was not reflected in the dances. The results do not support the hypothesis that honeybees estimate feeding site distances by measuring the energy required to reach a feeder.