Nectar! I found it! Whew. I’ve been flying for so long. But here it is. I’m ready to collect.

I step inside the flower and suck up the nectar with my straw-like tongue. It’s called a proboscis. I put it in my crop, which is like a second stomach, so I can share it with my fellow workers. Meanwhile, the hairs on my legs are trapping the pollen. A two-for-one deal.

Now I’m ready to make the long flight home. Wow, my wings are tired. When I’m finally back at the hive I collapse with exhaustion while the other workers suck the nectar out of my crop with their proboscises. Careful, friends, that tickles!

Before I rest, it’s time to tell them where I found this delicious feast. I wind up my abdomen and start waggling. Good thing I saved a little energy, because I have to complete 100 circuits. The flowers I found were really far from the hive, so this dance will be long.

While I’m waggling, I make sure to point my abdomen in the right direction. The angle of my abdomen tells my fellow works the angle of the flowers from the sun. If I get it wrong, they won’t know which direction to fly. They won’t be able to find the flowers for themselves.

Finally I’m done. Time to rest while my friends go out to look for the flowers. I hope my dance helps them find more nectar and pollen. I can’t wait until they bring some home for me!