RoboBees get smart in pollen pursuit
Monday, June 10, 2013 - 06:30
in Physics & Chemistry
(Phys.org) —When a scout honeybee returns to the hive, she performs a "waggle dance," looping and shaking her rear end in particular patterns to direct her comrades toward the jackpot of nectar and pollen she's found. Her movements communicate the direction and distance of the nectar source, providing a vector along which the other bees can now travel. As they fly through the air, the flow of optical stimuli across their peripheral vision tells the bees how far they've traveled and when to turn.