The Busy Bee Waggle©

The Busy Bee Waggle©

A Limerick A Day to Keep You On Your Way©

There once was a busy buzzing bee

Waggling a dance for others to see

Busy bee

Be busy

Waggling all day, a busy buzzing bee.

Now that was a bit of tongue-waggling!

There is a dance called the waggling dance. It is the dance of the bee. The waggle dance is the way a bee tells other bees where and how far a food source is, all relative to the position of the sun.  Science helps us understand how and why bees do this dance in the natural ways of the ecosystem.  But what about the Creator of bee? Why would the Creator program a bee to gravitate toward the sun by what we call the waggle dance? Why is this waggle dance detailed in its direction, length, and speed? Why is it performed day after day? And the question buzzing in my ear: Why is it so critical the younger bees imitate the older bees’ waggle dance?

As we imagine a honey hive where female larvae are given a special food called royal jelly, which is specifically secreted by the nursing bees, only one female larva will become the queen bee. The sole purpose of the queen bee is to produce more eggs.  The worker bees continue to fly out of the hive to find pollen and nectar. The pollen (fine powder on plants) is fed to the larvae as well as used to pollinate flowers, fruits, and vegetables.  The nectar (a sweet substance found on some plants) is the source of energy for the bees. The bees in the hive that are twenty or more days old will fly out of the hive daily looking for food sources. They will be the ones responsible for pollinating the flowers, fruits, and vegetables. When they return, if they have found a good source of food they can’t wait to share it with their hive mates.  They do this by the waggle dance. It is a repetitive sequence that resembles a figure eight. This sequence reveals how far, which direction is the sun, and how much time it will take for other worker bees to get there and bring back the food. The sun and its ultraviolet rays are the major factors. The younger bees will observe the waggle in preparation when they become mature enough to leave the hive. It will now be their turn to sustain the hive.

The life of a bee is about thirty days.  Bees generally sleep at night, like us. The bees that travel out for food are called forager bees. If temperatures drop below 50 degrees Fahrenheit they will return to the hive and rest. Forager bees use large amounts of energy for their job. Can you begin to see the pattern of this bee and the pattern of our lives? How much work would we be busy with if we knew we only had thirty days to perform it? And would we double our efforts if there were some days when the temperature dropped and we could not work?  Or take a needed rest so we could work more energized the next day?  What if our continued existence as a species was the constant feeding of larvae to ensure we always had a queen bee? Would we learn the waggle dance to perfection? And pass it on?

The depth of these questions is quite profound to our human existence. What appears as a simple life of a bee has great similarities to our own. Right down to the life-giving waggle dance. What dance do we do to benefit the lives of others?  Does it always tell the truth? Bees can’t lie, but they do sting: yet only when agitated or in protection mode. Does our dance have a purpose? Does it follow the sun? Or more importantly the Creator of the sun, God. Does our dance help feed the next generation? The questions could be endless. God loves deep questions but He loves simple truths. HE will answer you if you seek Him with a pure heart.

My last question is this: Are we busy for our gain?

Jesus said in Matthew 6:33(KJV), “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” The bees in their hive live with the sole focus of sustaining the needs of each other. They still take care of their own need for food, shelter, and rest. Both these things happen as they seek the sun. I believe they know who the Creator of the sun is.

Let’s be like busy bees and waggle, waggle, waggle.

Philippians 2:3-4 KJV  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. ⁴ Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Colossians 3:23-24 KJV  And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; ²⁴Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ.

Psalm 133:1 KJV Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!

A Little Science Explanation

Pray this prayer with me.

Dear Jesus,

We can be so busy with things that are not life-giving. Forgive us. Teach us to seek the Kingdom, especially with the ones you have placed us with, like the bees in the hive.  Help us care and feed each other knowing You will take care of our own needs.  In Jesus Name.  Amen.

Written by Paula Ann Kochanek

All rights copyrighted.©