Board 9 - Bee Dance
Bees communicate not only through their antennas – they prefer to dance! There are two different dances: The round dance (also known as the "tremble dance") – when nectar-rich flowers are nearby. In doing so, the bee also marks a distinct scent note for her sisters with her tremble gland. By the way, bees have very sensitive sensory hairs and a very fine sense of taste and smell! And then there is the so-called waggle dance – for more precise directions to locations further away. We have illustrated how these two "dance steps" differ for you in two graphics. The dancing bee language was researched by the Austrian professor Karl von Frisch, who was awarded the Nobel Prize for it in 1973!
BEE DANCE
"Tailing"
With raised buttocks and vigorous wing beats, the bees release their scents.
BEE DANCE
"Waggle"
Bees communicate by dancing.
Bees as the key to survival
Food without insects
Without bees or insects, humans would have to forgo about a third of their food because these would no longer be pollinated and entire food chains could simply break off! For example, if the many alpine herbs and plants on the high plateau disappear, the quality of cow's milk also changes as a result. Even today, in some areas of the world, certain crops must even be pollinated by human hands to secure the harvest. So let's take extra good care of our diverse bees, don't you think?
From honey to royal jelly
Bee products
The best-known products of the honeybee are honey, wax and perga (flower pollen processed by the bees). However, the bee also produces propolis, bee venom, and royal jelly (a food substance). Products that we humans can also use in many ways.
Beeswax serves as building material for honeycombs in the beehive and is popular with humans for making candles.
Propolis, also known as bee glue, comes from the resinous bark/bud of trees and serves as a sealant in bee construction as well as for defending against fungi and bacteria. For humans, propolis is valued, for example, as a bee product for colds.
Perga, or "bee bread," refers to pollen grains fermented with bee saliva – this is how bees preserve their food.
Even "raw" pollen is a valuable food for bees and humans, containing vitamins C, D, E, K, and B12, as well as provitamin A.
Bee venom is medically very valuable: it stimulates the body's own cortisol production and helps with rheumatic diseases, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, shingles, and more.
Royal Jelly is the noble food juice of the queen (or the queen bee).
Honey is produced from nectar and honeydew and stored in the honeycombs.
Honey as Medicine: Bee honey contains natural inhibins, which are substances that inhibit bacteria and have antibiotic effects. Honey has a healing effect on us humans – and when mixed with freshly cut onions overnight, it makes a really good cough and cold syrup! Honey on the skin provides important moisture after a sauna or sunbathing and helps with wound healing.
THE NOBLE
Midges' Hand Orchis
– Gymnadenia conopsea –
- Characteristics: belongs to the genus of orchids, fragrant pink flowers on a floral stem up to 50 cm high, each flower with a long spur, capsule fruits contain thousands of tiny seeds after flowering (weight of a seed is only about 0.008 mg)
- Habitat: in light forests, on moor meadows and in calcareous dry grasslands, from lowland to mountains
- Observation tip: butterflies as pollinators (e.g. Hummingbird Hawkmoth, Small Elephant Hawkmoth, Goldsmith Moth), nectar accessible through the long proboscis in the spur of the flower
- Flowering period: June to July
THE BELLY COLLECTOR
Teasel Wall Bee
– Osmia leaiana –
- Characteristics: black body, face with light hair, males up to 10 mm large, shine blue metallic, females slightly larger, have a "belly brush" – hairy abdomen for collecting pollen (belly collector)
- Habitat: near forest edges, traditional orchards, fallow land, and parks
- Way of life: It lives solitary, meaning alone. Nests are found in cavities in dead wood, mainly in beetle feeding tunnels, in reed stems, and holes in stones. Filling such a brood cell with pollen takes one day. Collection and transport of the pollen is done with the belly brush.
- Observation tip: specializes in so-called "asteraceae" (chicory, hawkweed, burdocks, cornflower, fleabane)
- Observation time: May to September
THE DOPPELGÄNGERIN
Mist bee
– Eristalis tenax –
- Characteristics: 14 to 16 mm large hoverfly, visually very similar to the honeybee, dark brown body color, two reddish-yellow spots on the sides of the abdomen, but unlike the honeybee, it has only one pair of wings, no pollen baskets, and no stinger.
- Habitat: found in almost all habitats, e.g. meadows, forest edges, gardens.
- Way of life: Egg-laying occurs in nutrient-rich water bodies such as manure pits, at the edge of compost heaps, and in nettle juices. The larvae can grow up to 2 cm and bacteria as well as plant debris serve as food sources. Pupation takes place in a protected spot nearby, for which they leave the water.
- Observation tip: found on umbellifers and asteraceae, with low flight reflex.
- Observation period: March to October, also in winter on warm days.
Dung beetles are an important food source for many animal groups, such as birds.
Whispering Forest: In Harmony with Nature!
Find yourself a quiet "spot" here by the road, sit on a stone, lean against a tree, or lie down on the ground. Close your eyes for a few minutes and be completely still: What sounds can you hear? Nature, animals, and people – who owns this habitat here?
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