This is how bees learn to show the way to good nectar

When a bee finds an area rich in flowers, it flies back to tell the other bees in the hive. This happens through a special dance, in which the bee shows how far and in which direction other bees must fly to find flowers.

Learn how bees learn to dance Scientists have established two coloniesone with only one-day-old bees and one where one-day-old bees were allowed to observe the older, more experienced dancers.

After nine days, the little bees had to show off their dancing skills, in order to show their peers the right way.

I danced wrong

James Nieh, a professor of biology at the University of California, San Diego, and his colleagues discovered that bees that observed more experienced bees dance flawlessly the first time.

Young Bin, who had no one to learn from, on the other hand, often danced wrongly. They showed the wrong direction and distances that were too long and also made more mistakes when it came to arranging moves.

“It makes a difference, because if you show the wrong direction and distance, other bees won’t find the flowers you want them to find,” says James Nieh.

They showed the wrong distance for the rest of their lives

After 20 days, the same bees were tested again. By then, even bees that had not had a teacher for the first nine days of their lives had had time to train their skills and become better at dancing: except for one point.

James Nie says they always communicate over very long distances.

The bees continued to show the wrong distance for the rest of their lives. James Nieh compares this to the critical learning stages found in humans. For example, it can be difficult to pronounce certain sounds in foreign languages ​​if we haven’t already learned them as children.

“It is possible that communication in terms of distance is already well established for bees at this critical stage,” says James Nieh.

Watch the bees dance away in the clip above.