Denver Gardening Examiner

Bees dance for meaning
(Photo: Coastalfields)

The dance goes on

Notice the ant to her lower right. We have ants in our hives. These ants are parasitic, eating some of the honey of our bees. But they also defend our bees against mites and other predators. They do not live in the hive, and the bees tolerate them because they are helpful guests. A hive is supposed to reproduce the ideal conditions of a dead tree, with convenient spaces for building comb. In a dead tree, there are ants and many other creatures that cohabitate, helping each other. The ants tolerate the bees because of the honey, and the bees tolerate the ants because of their protection. Ants are one of the most important creatures on our fields and in our animal houses! They are our stalwart defenders. Occasionally, we see the guards of our bee hives talk to the ants, and the ants talk to the bees: they exchange greetings, and recognize each other as adopted family by exchanging smells and particular touches with their antennae. Politeness is key in the animal world, and the protocol of greeting is what defines the relationship of friend or enemy. Often, two would-be enemies will greet each other civilly before they attack.

The end result

In the second photo, the response to the dance is echoed by the other gate guards by a line dance that echoes the fanfare of the chief guard. Second in importance only to the Queen herself, the chief guard (which may be any of the senior-most individual guards who is on duty) has the important job of relating important information between the inside and outside of the hive. The chief guard will share information with outgoing foragers from those who just returned about where good pasture is. She will also communicate with the outer guards to learn whether there are any enemies approaching the hive. She can marshal the bees from within the hive to swarm in attack against an enemy or in escort for a new Queen. She even directs those foragers entering the hive to where they need to go within the hive. She is aided by other gate guards, who help her tiny voice be heard by echoing her dances and songs. The song itself is chorused for the whole night long – the hive will buzz with excitement as they discover every reach of their new hive, and plan out their Queendom.   The Queen settles in the best part of the hive and begins to lay eggs as her daughters and sisters-in-law get food, build comb, and undertake the other necessary business of living.