Acoustic and visual cues in the dances of four honey bee species

Summary The sounds produced during the dance of the European honey bee, Apis mellifera, are potentially important in the reception of the dance information by recruit bees. I have studied the dances of the three Asian honey bee species and have found that the single species which nests in dark cavities like A. mellifera produces similar sounds, while the two open-nesting species produce none. This and other evidence suggest that the different species may perceive their dances through different sensory channels.