The Dance Language and Orientation of Bees [Paperback]

Karl von Frisch (Author), Leigh Chadwick (Translator), Thomas D. Seeley (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1993

Until his death in 1982, Karl von Frisch was the world's most renowned authority on bees. The Dance Language and Orientation of Bees is his masterwork--the culmination of more than fifty years of research. Now available for the first time in paperback, it describes in non-technical language what he discovered in a lifetime of study about honeybees--their methods of orientation, their sensory faculties, and their remarkable ability to communicate with one another. Thomas Seeley's new foreword traces the revolutionary effects of von Frisch's work, not just for the study of bees, but for all subsequent research in animal behavior. This new paperback edition also includes an "Appreciation" of von Frisch by the distinguished biologist Martin Lindauer, who was Frisch's protégé and later his colleague and friend.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Von Frisch's clear and inspiring prose sets a standard for scientific writing which has never been bettered. You will never view the insect kingdom in the same way again. (Tim Smit The Week 20011117)

Von Frisch's The Dance Language and Orientation of Bees will surely take its place in the tiny group of genuine classics of scientific literature. It is the definitive account of the waggle dance and other forms of honeybee communication as they have been so consummately elucidated by von Frisch and his students, and it contains in addition a clear summary of the vast lore of experiments on the sensory physiology and orientation of the honeybee. (Edward O. Wilson Science )

This significant and lucid volume is the dichtes Buch of Karl von Frisch. Here in full flower are his classic experiments with honeybees which revolutionized our thinking about the communication behavior of animals. (Donald R. Griffin American Scientist )

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 592 pages
• Publisher: Harvard University Press (January 1, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0674190513
• ISBN-13: 978-0674190511
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7.5 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,290,160 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bees can talk by Xavier Lesage, April 5, 2000

By 

Xavier Lesage (Neuilly, France) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Dance Language and Orientation of Bees (Paperback)

This book unveils a marvelous language between animals. After reading it you can not any more smash a bee!

The content of the discovery is impressive : one bee can tell her colleague that there is food at 1 300 meters in the North-West direction... Animals can talk using a symbolic language and we know their words.

The thorough methodology used by Karl van Frisch and his students is very impressive as well. No place is left for doubt. 20 years of experiments are described with a German luxury of details. This is a scientific lesson in those time where we do not accept response time exceeding 2 seconds when browsing the web desperatly looking for information.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a very in-depth reference!, March 28, 2006

By 

Jessica L. Lawrence (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Dance Language and Orientation of Bees (Paperback)

This is a fascinating book, completely walking step-by-step through all of von Frisch's experiments. It describes his methods for finding out if and how bees react to different things such as size, shape, color, and distance. It also explains the differences in the bee races and their benefits when hybridized. It is amazing to read about how someone watched this communication, previously unknown, completely unfold into the world of bees where polarized light is your guide, and your dances tell the hive how far away their flowers are, or water, and how good of a source it is.