QuickCheck: Do wild honey bees 'vote' on where their new hive will be?

NATURE is full of surprises, especially when it comes to the behaviour of wild bees.

The world of wild bees is especially fascinating, especially since they apparently 'vote to decide on where to build their new hive.

Is it true that these delightful little insects have such a predilection for democracy?

Verdict:

TRUE

Wild bee colonies, particularly honeybees, have been found to use a form of collective decision-making that closely resembles voting when choosing a new nesting site.

When a colony becomes too large, a swarm leaves the old hive with a new queen and a few thousand worker bees.

Scout bees fly out in search of potential new sites and return to the swarm to perform a "waggle dance", communicating the direction and quality of each site they have found.

Wild honey bees swarming on to a tree that just might be their next home.

The more enthusiastic and persistent the dance, the better the site is considered by the bee.

Other scouts then visit the proposed sites and, if they agree, perform their own waggle dances to advocate for the spot.

Over time, the swarm reaches a consensus, and once a critical number of bees support one location, the entire swarm moves to the new hive.

This process has been described by scientists as a form of "voting" based on group communication and agreement.

References:

1. https://cosmosmagazine.com/people/social-sciences/how-honeybees-make-house-hunting-decisions/

2. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/nov/03/animal-democracy-bees-ants-pigeons-choose-leader

3. https://www.cornell.edu/video/honeybee-decision-making