Spontaneous and Information-induced Bursting Activities in Honeybee Hives

In this study, we used a cohort population of approximately 1000 adult worker honeybees and a single queen bee in a single layer of an artificial hive to analyze how honeybee hives self-organize (i.e., how social role differentiation progresses). The temporal self-organization of the beehive was analyzed based on data obtained by tracking all the bees for a week using a “bcode” attached to their backs. We found that global synchronization of individual activities was produced, which was linked to foraging behavior and dancing. Moreover, individuals labeled as initiators of the synchronous activity have their roles determined on a weekly scale. This study demonstrates that individual bees behave in a binary manner, either quiet or excited, and their populations engage in spontaneous or informed collective bursts of activity. These collective bursts might evolve a social structure in the beehive through the opening and closing of the hive entrance.