How Bees Talk

Bees are small, but they have a clever way to share news. When a bee finds a field full of flowers, it flies back to the hive to tell the others. It cannot speak, so instead it dances. This special movement is called the waggle dance. The bee walks in a straight line while shaking its body, then turns and repeats the pattern. The direction of the dance points the way toward the food. The longer the bee waggles, the farther away the flowers are. The other bees crowd around and feel the movements in the dark hive. Soon they understand exactly where to fly. In this way, one bee can send hundreds of workers to the right place. Scientists were amazed when they first understood this dance. It shows that even tiny animals can share detailed information without words.