Do Bees Communicate?

Do you ever find yourself wondering: “Do bees communicate?”  

The answer is: absolutely! Although the idea that animals, and especially insects, communicate with each other may come as a surprise to some, it is an incredibly important part of any creature’s life and survival! With a job as important as pollinating and ensuring the biodiversity of our ecosystem, you bet bees are communicating with one another!

 There are many ways that bees talk to each other. From eye contact, to body language, pheromones, and even vocal patterns, bees have a lot to chat about! One of the most impressive ways that bees communicate is through the waggle dance. The waggle dance* comes into play when a bee gets back to the hive with a ton of valuable information on nearby food sources, safe drinking holes, or knowledge about surrounding areas. Naturally, the worker bee will dance in order to tell her hive-mates. During this dance, the honey bee makes a figure eight pattern while buzzing its wings. The more intensely and faster the wings vibrate and buzz, the further the food source is, and the bee even faces its body in relation to the sun to point toward where the food is! 

At Healthy Hive Foundation, we believe that education is one of the most important pillars when it comes to raising awareness, respect, and love for our pollinators and precious honey bees. To check out our partners and impact, buzz on over to the ‘What We Do’ tab! Thank you for supporting us and the bees! 

*This video on our Instagram page perfectly captures the waggle dance. It was generously shared with us by Flow Hive! Go check out their incredible mission and resources!