In the insect order Hymenoptera (bees, ants, and wasps), promiscuous mating by females is extraordinarily rare.  However, in the lineages where it occurs, it is associated with some of the most impressive of the social insects, including all honey bee species (genus Apis).  Queen promiscuity gives rise to multiple subfamilies of genetically diverse worker bees within the same colony, which has been hypothesized to provide several function benefits to colony members.  I will discuss a series of experiments that demonstrate how honey bee queens produce a more productive work force of foragers when they mate multiply, with a focus on the use of the famous "waggle dance" for facilitating this phenomenon.