Intelligent decisions from the hive mind: foragers and nectar receivers of Apis mellifera collaborate to optimise active forager numbers.
We present a differential equation-based mathematical model of nectar foraging by the honey bee Apis mellifera. The model focuses on two behavioural classes; nectar foragers and nectar receivers. Results generated from the model are used to demonstrate how different classes within a collective can collaborate to combine information and produce finely tuned decisions through simple interactions. In particular we show the importance of the 'search time' - the time a returning forager takes to find an available nectar receiver - in restricting the forager population to a level consistent with colony-wide needs.
The School of Mathematics and Statistics, The Centre for Mathematical Biology, University of Sydney, New South Wales 2006, Australia.
James R
JR
Edwards
Mary R
MR
Myerscough
D000819:Animal Communication; D000818:Animals; D001516:Bees / Q000502:physiology*; D001522:Behavior, Animal / Q000502:physiology*; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003657:Decision Making / Q000502:physiology; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology; D008954:Models, Biological; D057048:Plant Nectar; D011156:Population Density; D013997:Time Factors
D057048:Plant Nectar