How do bees communicate the location of food sources?

Bees communicate the location of food sources primarily through the waggle dance. This intricate behavior allows for the precise conveying of distance and direction to food sources. When a forager bee discovers a rich source of nectar or pollen, it returns to the colony and performs a dance that involves running in a straight line, followed by a series of turns. The direction in which the bee wiggles during this dance correlates to the angle of the food source relative to the sun. The duration of the waggle portion of the dance indicates the distance the forager must travel to reach the food.

This form of communication is highly effective among honeybees, as it allows other bees in the hive to understand not only where to find food but also how far they need to go to obtain it. Other methods of communication, such as emitting pheromones or making buzz sounds, can serve different functions in the hive, such as signaling alarm or attraction, but the waggle dance is unique in its capacity to convey detailed spatial information. Changing the color of flowers is not something bees do, as their role is primarily in pollination rather than altering the environment.