Navigation and Communication in Honey Bees

Honey bees navigate and communicate in the context of foraging and nest selection. A novel technique (harmonic radar tracking) has been applied to foraging behavior. On the basis of the data collected, a concept that assumes an integrated map-like structure of spatial memory was developed. Characteristic features (long ranging landmarks) and local characteristics are learned during exploratory flights. Route flights and information about target destinations transferred during the waggle dance are integrated into the map-like memory, enabling bees to make decisions about their flight routes. Cognitive terminology is applied to describe these implicit knowledge properties in bee navigation.