The Dance of the Honey Bee
When the forager honeybee discovers a good source of food, it returns to the hive and dances on the wall of the honeycomb to tell the others the location of the food source.The routine it goes through is quite precise. If the food is close to the hive it does a round dance, making alternate circles to the left and to the right. It indicates the abundance of the food source by the vigour of the dance.
When the food source is further away it does a more complicated ritual. In this ‘waggle’ dance, it moves in a figure eight. In the parts separating the two circles it waggles its abdomen in complex patterns which communicate a great deal of information. It indicates distance by the tempo, accurately conveying how much effort will be needed to reach the food.
We think it remembers the direction of the food source by estimating its angle to the sun. Using vertical lines on the face of the honeycomb to represent the direction of the sun, it shifts the direction of its waggle runs to represent the angle of the food from the sun. The bees dance routine was confirmed in 1989 when researchers successfully led bees to food sources using a robot bee.
So next time you can’t find the smorgasbord, try getting your partner to do a little dance routine, and see if it helps you make a bee line for the food.
In a business course an instructor spent some time discussing "body language." He stressed that the way you move your hands, the way you sit, and your movements while you speak, can convey either a positive or negative message to your customer. Body language can be almost as important as the words you say. If so, bees have got it down to a fine art.
The "dance" or "body language" of the bees has a very specific purpose. With humans, however, dancing can convey any number of hidden or overt messages. One that comes to mind is the expression of joy. If you are really infected with joy, it is almost impossible to keep your body still. Imagine someone winning a ten million dollar lottery, and yawning as he says, "Oh, that's very nice." Most of us have seen winners on "Wheel of Fortune" dancing with excitement after winning twenty to thirty thousand dollars. It is quite natural to "dance" under such circumstances.
"There is also a "dance" that comes to us when we find spiritual fulfilment. Going to the gym to build your strength and boost your energy has no doubt many other benefits, including self-esteem and a sense of well-being.
There is something else, however, that can give even greater strength in the form of courage and fortitude. I am speaking of the strength that comes to anyone who is filled with joy. The Scriptures declare: "The joy of the Lord is your strength."
The joy you get from having a relationship with the Lord may not always cause you to dance, but it will certainly give you the strength to face whatever life may bring you. A strong body and high energy may not be enough to sustain you through grief, disappointment, or tragedy. But the joy of the Lord has what it takes to carry you through.How would you like to get a taste of that kind of joy?
David Humphreys and Christopher Shennan
© August 2004
