232 A SOCIAL INSECT— THE HONEYBEE 



since it was first described by K. von Frisch, a German entomologist, in 

 1920. The honeybee returning with a load of nectar starts running around 

 the comb in circles, first in one direction and then in the other. After 

 each circle she runs across it at an angle, usually wagging her abdomen 

 vigorously. The number of ''wag-tail runs" per minute has been shown 

 to indicate the distance away of the supply, 40 per minute meaning a little 

 over 75 yards and their number decreasing until only about eight runs 

 are performed if the nectar supply is 3.7 miles away. When the food 

 source is less than 75 yards, the bees omit the wag- tail part and merely 

 run in circles on the combs. 



Bees also indicate the direction in which they have found a supply of 

 nectar. After completing a circle if the bee runs straight up, it means 

 fly toward the sun; if the bee runs straight down on the comb, it means 

 fly away from the sun. If the bee runs 70 degrees to the left of vertical, 

 it means the feeding place is 70 degrees to the left of the sun; if the 

 bee runs 80 degrees to the right of vertical, it signifies that the food is 

 located 80 degrees to the right of the sun. As the day advances and 

 the sun changes position, the dancing bee shifts her angle accordingly. 

 As the loaded bee dances, field bees come up and follow her closely, getting 

 not only the direction of the honey source but also the scent of the flower 

 from which the nectar came. They leave the hive one or two at a time, 

 before the dancing bee has deposited her load, which shows clearly that 

 they do not follow her as was formerly believed. 



Nectar and Pollen Collection 



Bees also have a scent organ near the posterior end of their abdomen. 

 When they find a particularly attractive source of food, they open this 

 scent organ and discharge the odor over the food. This added odor 

 is very attractive to bees, and is particularly useful when sprayed on a 

 flower which has no natural scent. 



Bees work so hard during the main honey flows that they live only 

 five or six weeks ; they literally work themselves to death, and few ever 

 live to benefit from the surplus honey. It takes about 20.000 round 

 trips to collect enough nectar to make a pound of honey, yet one hive 

 can produce 200 to 300 pounds in a good season, with the record yield 

 being over 600 pounds. 



Honey is a carbohydrate and is very easily digested, because 

 enzymes secreted by the stomachs of the bees break down the sugar, 

 sucrose, in the nectar into two simple sugars, levulose and dextrose. 

 These simple sugars are ready to be utilized by the body and furnish 

 almost instant energy. However, all animals need some protein con- 





