02 / THE LANGUAGE
Can you follow
a bee’s directions?
A returning forager uses a waggle dance to communicate the direction and distance of food. Learn its two clues, find the matching flowers, then try giving directions yourself.
THE TWO CLUES
Angle tells where.
Duration tells how far.
01 / DirectionOn vertical comb, a waggle run straight up points toward the sun. Left or right of up means the same angle left or right of the sun.
02 / DistanceA longer waggle run generally means a more distant food source. The illustration uses relative distances, not a fixed seconds-to-miles formula.
YOUR TURN · CHOOSE ONE ANSWER
Which flower patch matches her dance?
Watch the repeating dance. Then select a flower patch below the map.
YOUR CLUE · VERTICAL COMB
Watch the central waggle run, then choose a flower patch.
Choose your answer
Follow the central run, not the looping return path.
NOW YOU ARE THE FORAGER
Be the bee.
Send the message.
Level 1 / Asters. You found a patch far from the hive, 45° right of the sun. Send your colony there.
02 / Choose the waggle-run length
On vertical comb, “up” means toward the sun—not north. Longer central runs signal greater distance.
THREE MESSAGES. THREE DESTINATIONS.
You speak bee.
You matched direction and distance to guide your colony to every patch.