Here is explanation, how bees tell the distance of food source.
http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/entomology/apiculture/PDF%20files/1.11.pdf
Here is excellent presentation how it happens. First take from map a continent where you are: Africa ...Europe.
http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/entomology/apiculture/Dance_tutorial.html
Here is report that bees may fly to distance of 9 kilometres and even to 13 km.
http://www.shef.ac.uk/~taplab/pdf/rbeeimpr2000.pdf
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Thanks Finsky!!
Some good info!
To all Americans Happy Thanksgiving
I wonder? Do the scout bees do some form of dance to lead a swarm to a new hive or is it a case of follow the leader. Ive never noticed been to busy scepping the swarm I guess.
What are your thoughts on this.
Yes I believe they do the dance for new home location. I watched a swarm on the side of a wall. There would be a bee every now and then that would be moving through a group wiggling around.
Yes scout bees do come back from looking for new homes and do a waggle dance on the surface of the swarm cluster.
My understandng is that individual scout bees dance to different locations and, in the end, bees choose one over all the rest.