In one experiment we discussed in lecture, Karl von Frisch trained forager bees to come to a feeder full of sugar water 750 meters from the hive, but also placed feeders at various distances between 100m and 2km from the colony. Most of the recruits came to the feeders at 700, 750, and 800 meters from the hive, flying right over some identical feeders that were closer to the hive. What did his experiment demonstrate?

Question

In one experiment we discussed in lecture, Karl von Frisch trained forager bees to come to a feeder full of sugar water 750 meters from the hive, but also placed feeders at various distances between 100m and 2km from the colony.  Most of the recruits came to the feeders at 700, 750, and 800 meters from the hive, flying right over some identical feeders that were closer to the hive.  What did his experiment demonstrate?

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The question describes Karl von Frisch’s experiments with forager bees and feeder distances, focusing on what the results demonstrate about bee navigation and communication.
Option 1: 'Honey bees are incapable of communicating the precise location of food resources unless the food is at least 1/2 a kilometer away from the hive.' This statement adds an arbitrary distance threshold and misrepresents the core finding, which relates to distance information conveyed by the waggle dance, not a cutoff like 0.5 km. It also implies a false limitation on communication that doesn’t align with Frisch’s results.
Option 2: 'Though bees are rather intelligent for insects, their waggle dance language is so inefficient that bee colonies could not survive without constant attention and intervention from human beekeepers.' This exaggerates a supposed inefficiency and dependence on humans. Frisch’s work actually showed that the waggle dance communicates distance and direction, enabling recruitment and efficient foraging within a colony, without implying unsustainable inefficiency.
Option 3: 'Honey bees are able to communicate the distance from their nest to a food resource.' This aligns with Frisch’s interpretation of the waggle dance conveying both direction and distance to a resource, demonstrated by recruits flying to feeders at specific distances and choosing those over nearer identical feeders, indicating distance information is indeed conveyed.
Option 4: 'Recruited bees navigated to new food resources using only their sense of smell, not their sense of sight.' This contradicts the observed behavior that recruits used the waggle dance information to find distant resources. It also downplays the role of visual and sensory cues (such as the direction indicated by the dance) in recruitment and navigation, which were central to Frisch’s conclusions.

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