Decision making in bee swarms : Fascinating swarms of bees behave very similar to neurons in Human brains when it comes to decision making. From Article: When you consider a swarm one bee at a time this way, it starts to look like a heap of chaos. Each insect wanders around, using its tiny brain to perceive nothing more than its immediate surroundings. Yet, somehow, thousands of honeybees can pool their knowledge and make a collective decision about where they will make a new home, even if that home may be miles away.

The decision-making power of honeybees is a prime example of what scientists call swarm intelligence. Clouds of locusts, schools of fish, flocks of birds and colonies of termites display it as well. And in the field of swarm intelligence, Seeley is a towering figure. For 40 years he has come up with experiments that have allowed him to decipher the rules honeybees use for their collective decision-making. He would look into the boxes (which had two hives) and see bees coming in with loads of pollen on their legs. Other bees fanned their wings to keep the hives cool. Other bees acted as guards, pacing back and forth at the opening.

“It’s beautiful when you see how well it works,” Seeley said. “Things don’t bog down when individuals get too stubborn. In fact, they’re all pretty modest. They say, ‘Well, I found something, and I think it’s interesting. I don’t know if it’s the best, but I’ll report what I found and let the best site win.’”

Main Article: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/The-Secret-Life-of-Bees.html

Earlier article referencing Seeley: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/12/111208142019.htm

Reference book "Wisdom of the Hive" by Thomas D Seeley : http://goo.gl/jFiiGb

Pics courtesy: Pic on right from stgeorgeutah.com titled 'bee swarm'. Pic on left: From the Smithosonianmag, collage of arts and science (Augochlorella aurata, Boonesboro, Maryland. USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab.)

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