From molecules to societies: mechanisms regulating swarming behavior in honey bees (Apis spp.)

Abstract

International audienceReproduction by colony fission, or swarming, is a spectacular example of a behavior that requires the simultaneous coordination of the activities of thousands of honey bee workers and their queen. The successful execution of this collective phenomenon relies on the appropriate response of individuals in swarms to a myriad of signals that are produced by workers and queens to synchronize their nest exodus, subsequent house hunting, and eventual relocation to a new nest site. In this review, we describe our current understanding of the social factors that trigger swarming in colonies and the nonchemical and chemical signals that mediate a coordinated transition between its stages. We also highlight emerging work on the physiological and genomic mechanisms underpinning swarming behavior. Finally, we discuss the possible evolutionary origins of swarming behavior, through comparisons with related behaviors of migration, overwintering, estivation, and diapause in honey bees and other insects

Overwintering honey bees: biology and management

“…In temperate climates, brood rearing starts in winter (when the average maximum ambient temperature is as low as 4 o C), peaks in spring, decreases through summer, and ceases in early fall [6, 10, 11**, 76]. Brood build-up in the spring typically leads to swarming, where the majority of the workers leave the colony with the old queen in search of a new nest site, leaving behind a new queen and the remaining workers to rebuild the original colony [12,13]. After swarming, both original and new colonies spend the remainder of the summer and early fall collecting pollen, which is used a protein source for brood rearing, and nectar, which is converted to honey and used as a general energy source especially during winter months [14].…”

Queen-produced volatiles change dynamically during reproductive swarming and are associated with changes in honey bee (Apis mellifera) worker behavior

“…While previous studies have focused primarily on the role that workers play in initiating swarm preparations, stimulating liftoff from the established colony and the bivouac, and scouting for new nest sites (reviewed in Seeley 2010 andGrozinger et al 2014), our results demonstrate that queens are not simply passive participants in this process. Although a queen is unaware of her swarm's destination and likely has little influence over the speed of the househunting process, it is critical that she accompany workers each step of the way or the swarming process will fail.…”

“…Honey bee reproductive swarming is a fascinating example of a collective behavior for which the movement of thousands of individuals must be finely coordinated (reviewed by Seeley 2010 andGrozinger et al 2014). During reproductive swarming, approximately three quarters of workers and their queen leave the nest and form a temporary cluster (called a bivouac) from which they search for nest sites and eventually relocate en masse to their most popular selection (Rangel and Seeley 2012;Rangel et al 2013).…”

“…During reproductive swarming, approximately three quarters of workers and their queen leave the nest and form a temporary cluster (called a bivouac) from which they search for nest sites and eventually relocate en masse to their most popular selection (Rangel and Seeley 2012;Rangel et al 2013). Several studies have elucidated the behavioral signals that are produced by workers to regulate the swarming process (reviewed by Seeley 2010 andGrozinger et al 2014). However, queens also produce pheromonal signals that are known to trigger the initiation of new queen rearing in preparation for swarming (Fefferman and Starks 2006;reviewed in Grozinger et al 2014) and to keep flying and clustered swarms cohesive (Butler et al 1964;Butler and Simpson 1967;Avitabile et al 1975;Winston et al 1982).…”

Multi-Auv Distributed Task Allocation Based on the Differential Evolution Quantum Bee Colony Optimization Algorithm

“…Ferrante et al [9] proposed a self-organization model, which was applied to task partitioning. Grozinger [10] proposed a self-organizing model, which showed the communication in the bee colony through many methods, including "swing dance" and odor. This self-organization model can complete different tasks in different social classes.…”