Why do honeybees dance instead of just telling other bees where food is?

Honeybees perform the waggle dance because it efficiently communicates where a valuable food source is located. The angle of the dance relative to the sun tells other bees the direction, and the length of the waggle indicates distance. German scientist Karl von Frisch demonstrated this system in the 20th century and later won the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Bees use the dance especially when nectar or pollen is abundant and worth recruiting nestmates. This communication helps a hive forage as a coordinated colony rather than as separate individuals.