What is encoded in the waggle dance of the honeybee? Dancing up on a vertical surface indicates food is outside the hive away from the sun. Bees rely on polarized light to adjust their sun compass over the day. The distance of food away from the hive is encoded in the number of curves the forager dances. The distance of food away from the hive is encoded in the length the forager dances along the midline. You read that a foraging tactic is "optimal" only if it is the most efficient way of acquiring calories from the environment. This is because true; this will enable the species to grow and avoid extinction false; sometimes animals gain more fitness by sacrificing some foraging efficiency in order to better avoid predators false; species that collect food too efficiently run the risk of destroying the resource base needed for that species true; selection favors traits that have large benefits