April 21 2007
Newsletter Archives

Just thought I’d share a few amazing facts in this newsletter about bees. One of the most striking characteristics is the ability of a bee to locate nectar or pollen and to direct worker bees to the exact spot.
After locating the source, the scout comes back to the hive and performs an elaborate “waggle dance” characterized by intermittent movement across the diameter of the circle and constant, vigorous wagging of her abdomen. The worker bees learn the location of the source of the nectar of pollen relative to the sun. If the movement of the bee is straight upward, the source is directly toward the sun.
Should the straight run be downward, it signifies that the bees may reach the food by flying with their backs to the sun. In the event the straight run veers off at an angle to the vertical, the bees must follow a course to the right or left of the sun at the same angle that the straight run deviates from the vertical. Bees under observation in a glass hive demonstrate their instructions so clearly that it is possible for trained observers to understand the directions given by the dancers. The instructions are so accurate that the scout bee does not even accompany the worker bees to the site. Yet they arrive at exactly the spot the scout had indicated.
When I think of the present day accuracy of GPS devices (Global Positioning Systems) used in everything from space exploration to the spreading of fertilizer in farmers’ fields, I think of the wonder of what God has done in giving the honey bee this ability thousands of years ago when He first created them. It is no wonder that King David, beholding the wonder of creation, expresses adoration and exclaims, “O Lord, how manifold are Thy works! In wisdom hast Thou made them all: the earth is full of Thy riches” Psalm 104:24.

Russ Nesbit