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Collective decisions and cognition in bees

Author

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  • P. Kirk Visscher

    (University of California)

  • Scott Camazine

    (Pennsylvania State University, State College)

Abstract

In a remarkable example of collective decision-making, swarms of honeybees, Apis mellifera, choose one of many nest sites discovered and reported by their scouts. At first, dancing scouts communicate the location of many sites, but within a few days all dances focus on the same high-quality site1,2,3. Instead of swarms acquiring global information by direct comparison of sites4, 5, we find that the swarm's decision arises through a self-organized process driven by the dynamics of interacting individuals following simple rules based on local information.

Suggested Citation

  • P. Kirk Visscher & Scott Camazine, 1999. "Collective decisions and cognition in bees," Nature, Nature, vol. 397(6718), pages 400-400, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:397:y:1999:i:6718:d:10.1038_17047
    DOI: 10.1038/17047
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    Cited by:

    1. Richard A. Foss, 2022. "Computational mechanisms affecting the efficiency of resource use in the honey bee swarm," Systems Research and Behavioral Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 39(4), pages 807-823, July.
    2. Lee, S.-H. & Bardunias, P. & Su, N.-Y., 2008. "Two strategies for optimizing the food encounter rate of termite tunnels simulated by a lattice model," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 213(3), pages 381-388.

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