Choosing a home: how the scouts in a honey bee swarm perceive the completion of their group decision making

摘要: This study considers the mystery of how scout bees in a honey bee swarm know when they have completed their group decision making regarding swarm's new nest site. More specifically, we investigated scouts sense it is appropriate for them to begin producing worker piping signals that stimulate swarm-mates prepare flight home. We tested two hypotheses: "consensus sensing," noting all performing waggle dances are advertising just one site; and "quorum site being visited by sufficiently large number scouts. Our test involved monitoring four swarms as discovered, recruited to, chose between boxes started signals. found consensus among dancers was neither necessary nor sufficient start piping, which indicates sensing hypothesis false. also buildup 10–15 or more at consistently associated with quorum may be true. In considering why rely on reaching rather than cue preparing liftoff, suggest provide better balance accuracy speed making. short, appear preparations liftoff soon enough bees, but not them, approved potential sites.