nature animals · Ages 6-8

How Do Bees Tell the Hive Where Flowers Are?

Honeybees use movements, scent, and shared food to guide other bees toward good flower patches.

The whole story

1. At sunrise, Pip, a young honeybee, left the hive and flew over the garden. She searched for flowers full of nectar.

2. Beyond the clover, Pip found a wide patch of purple lavender. Each flower held a sweet drop, and pollen dusted her legs.

3. Pip drank deeply, filled her pollen baskets, and flew home. The hive needed to know about the lavender.

4. Back inside, Pip made a looping dance on the honeycomb. The other bees crowded close, but they did not yet know which way to fly.

5. Pip stopped and offered a drop of lavender nectar. Luma tasted it, and the flower's sweet scent tickled her feelers.

6. Pip danced again, this time with a straight middle run toward the hive entrance. Her movements told the distance and direction, while the nectar and scent told the bees what to seek.

7. At last, Luma and the other bees lifted their wings. They knew where to go, and they knew what flower smell to follow.

8. The bees reached the lavender and settled on the blossoms. Soon, every pollen basket held a golden dusting.

9. By noon, the hive hummed with the taste of lavender. Honeybees use movements, scent, and shared food to guide other bees toward good flower patches.

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