Vibration signal modulates the behavior of house-hunting honey bees (Apis mellifera)

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) in house-hunting swarms perform vibration signa ls (dorsoventral abdominal vibration (DVAV)) of 18.05 +/- 0.45 Hz for 1.36 +/- 0.23 s throughout the house selection process. These signals are perfor med by a specialized subset of bees, most of whom never perform recruitment dances to nest sites. Individuals repeatedly vibrate others. The patterns of vibration signal performance are consistent with the hypothesis that it serves to activate bees for take-off, but may also activate bees to scout f or nest sites.