Sensory organs and communication processes

Reproduction, the search for food, and the social life in the hive require highly developed sensory organs and powerful communication processes. 

The faceted compound eye of the honey bee is sensitive to ultraviolet radiation. Conversely, it is blind to red hght. White flowers, which only partially reflect ultraviolet as a rule, appear colored to a bee. Certain color combinations, while invisible to the human eye, are not only visible but are also very attractive to bees. Some flowers that appear entirely yellow to the human eye reflect ultraviolet from the outer ends of the petals [3]. Only the inner part, then, appears yellow to the bee, directing it to the nectar source. The eye of the honey bee only roughly perceives geometric shapes [3]. 

The honey bees present two types of receptors on their antennae. The first type allows the bees to detect the different odors of flowers. The second type is more specific and is used to detect pheromones produced by the queen and the workers it allows the recognition of individuals belonging to the same colony since each colony presents a specific odor [7]. 

A widely known and main behavioral specificity of honey bees is the communication of information about food sources and the recruitment of foragers by the so-called dance language discovered by Karl von Frisch in 

1919 [8], This accurate transmission of information concerning direction and distance of foraging areas leads to efficient exploitation of food sources by the colony. 

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