Saturday, September 6, 2008

THE RHETORIC OF BEES




We were talking last week about language (human/non-human animal, written, spoken, and so on), and I mentioned to many of you that bees use dance to communicate the source of pollen to the rest of the hive. This is a great example of the important role communication plays in individual and group survival. Above left: the waggle dance. Above right: the circle dance.
Thanks to Joanna (051), who forwarded a playful YouTube bee-dance video (see below). The video also carries a serious message about the ecological disaster of the disappearance of the honey bee.





You can find lots of information about bee communication by Googling "bee dances," "bee communication," and so on.
Thanks again, Joanna!

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