what electrical phenomenen is associated with bee dances?

[HensandBees]

! have been trying to find the answer to this question and wonder if anyone can point me in a direction?

[gavin]

Are there any? The dances used to communicate sites of forage or nest cavities employ visual cues, sound/vibration and scent. The straight run of the waggle dance includes buzzes and you can see bees with their antennae towards the dancer probably 'listening' to the dance as well as watching. Scent/taste features when bees are fed samples of nectar.

Beekeepers report colonies under power lines and pylons doing as well as colonies elsewhere.

[chris]

This was pointed out to me on another forum. I've only had time to give it a cursory glance, so don't know if it's of any use.

http://www.hese-project.org/hese-uk/...e_world_76.pdf

When I'll have read it carefully, I still won't know:confused:

[chris]

Just been looking at the references. They seem pretty old. (About Gavin's age ,some of them). If there's anything in it, there must be more recent studies?

[Alvearium]

I only see indirect connections here. Bees are sensitive to atmospheric and electrical changes in the atmosphere from many miles away. My father, as a child in the foothills of the Carpathian Mountains, remembers fantastic electrical storms in the summer. My grandfather was a beekeeper there. Apparently well before these storms let loose the bees would come streaming off the hill pastures in their thousands in a mad rush to get back to the hives. This is a useful behavioural adaptation if you think about it. It will take a heavily laden bee against mild wind resistance some appreciable time to get back to the safety of the hive. If not then there is the risk of thousands of bees being lost in the ensuing downpours. There is something else as well. Recent research shows that bees can activate a 'stop' signal to bee dances if there is a change that makes further foraging a risk thus stopping further recruitment of foragers. I don't know of any research on this but I have often thought that bees after flying vigorously to return to the hive from a nectar source may build up an electrostatic charge; the strength of the discharge when in contact with other bees might give an indication to other bees of the energy required to reach the source......only an idea or do you think it's silly? Bees can apparently detect the sounds of a dancing bee by using a receptor that is sensitive to the particle movements of the sound wave components. These oscillations can be detected by 'Johnston's Organ' situated at the pedicel of the antennae. This a mechanical pressure change which stimulates the nerve ending.
Alvearium

[HensandBees]

wow thanks guys ..... The only thing I was coming up with was the bee dance being changed to warn the possible foragers of an impending storm ........... its interesting that the ppower lines seem to be love or hate . some saying it makes the bees aggressive and others saying htey forage really well

[Trog]

I check the weather forecast before checking the bees. If there's any risk of thunderstorms I leave well alone. I got caught out once last year when normally lovely bees got seriously stroppy. Sure enough, despite the forecast, there was thunder that afternoon.

[HensandBees]

yes ....always a good policy to shove the roof back on really quick when they change like that !....