Honey bee dance communication is a classic form of animal behavior,
with over 70 years of intense study. In this chapter, we fi rst discuss conceptually how
it is possible to dissect dance communication into simpler behavioral modules for
neurogenomics analysis, based on information from prior ethological studies of
dance behavior and a rapidly advancing functional analysis of the insect brain. We
then review recent studies that have used this conceptual approach and new genomic
tools to begin to explore neurogenomic and neurochemical aspects of dance communication, highlighting the following fi ndings. Comparative transcriptomic studies
of specifi c brain regions across Apis species that differ in dance behavior have implicated genes involved in the geotactic and odometric elements of dance, and genes
involved in learning and memory systems and the circadian clock as important modulators of dance output. This research also has identifi ed distinct patterns of gene
expression in different brain regions that provide additional hints about the regulation of dance behavior. Pharmacological studies with octopamine and related compounds have demonstrated the role of the reward system in modulating the likelihood
that a bee will dance upon returning from a foraging trip. The results of these early
studies provide a foundation for a more comprehensive molecular dissection of dance
behavior and suggest that the mechanisms regulating dance communication involve
evolutionary reuse and adaptation of neuromolecular systems that control elements
of solitary behavior