The Colony Goes into Action
Shortly after, the scouts arrive back where the colony is waiting for them, and provide directions for them by dancing-the same dance performed by bees when they locate a food source. The direction of the site determined as being suitable is shown by the waggling part of the figure-eight dance. The site's suitability is indicated by the exuberance of the dance. In the case of a site which fulfils all the necessary conditions, bees may dance for half an hour or even an hour. But if the site is not ideal, then they perform the dance less enthusiastically.104
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Your Lord revealed to the bees: “Build dwellings in the mountains and the trees, and also in the structures which men erect.” (Surat an-Nahl: 68) |
Bees alerted by the scouts' dance to leave the swarm's cluster search the area until they detect their own colony's odor. The most suitable site receives the largest number of bees, which in turn accumulates the greatest amount of colony odor at that site.106
Within one week, the hanging cluster of bees like a bunch of grapes disperses and the bees fly off en masse towards the new site. When the colony begins moving, bees familiar with the site lead it with their scent, so the swarm can find the site without needing any further assistance. The queen has to move together with the swarm, since her presence maintains the unity of the colony. If the queen is not accompanying the colony, the community will return to where it had been before.107
The behavior of bees in the establishment of a new colony is evidently very conscious. The planning and logic used to make a selection observed in bees very definitely require intelligence. Yet it is impossible to speak of the intelligence of individual bees. As has already been made clear, a bee is, all in all, nothing more than a tiny insect. Its brain capacity is severely limited. It might be reasonable if all these activities were carried out by human beings possessing intellect and logic. But since we are referring to bees, we need to stop and consider.
How do these creatures manage to carry out such wide-ranging planning? These are not steps that unintelligent, and unaware creatures could learn by chance, since the verb "to learn" implies logic and will. Bees do not, of course, possess these attributes. It is God, with His infinite knowledge, Who causes them to exhibit this conscious behavior and signs of intelligence. As He does all other creatures, God protects and watches over bees, teaching them the systems they need. As is revealed in one verse, " . . . There is no creature He does not hold by the forelock . . . ." (Surah Hud: 56).
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If bees are unable to find a suitable site, they make a temporary hive in a tree. The picture to the side shows the combs constructed in the open air, exposed to all kinds of danger. |
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The scout bees dance to indicate the distance and direction of the possible locations for the new nest. Each arrow represents the dances in the direction of a particular site. The length of the arrow indicates how distant the site is, the angle its direction, and the thickness the number of scouts that have danced for that region. The drawing at the far left shows the dances performed in four directions before unanimity was reached. The drawing to the side shows the dance performed right before departure for the new nest. |
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- 104. The New Encyclopedia Britannica, Vol.21, 15th edition, 1991, p.663
- 105. Karl von Frisch, Tanzsprache und Orientierung der Bienen, Universitat München, Springer Verlag, 1965, p.269
- 106. Thomas A. Sebeok, Animal Communication, pp.237-238
- 107. Edward O.Wilson, The Insect Societies, p.238
This article is based on the works of Harunyahya www.harunyahya.com