How honeybees make collective decisions--and what we can learn from
this amazing democratic process
Honeybees make decisions collectively--and democratically. Every year,
faced with the life-or-death problem of choosing and traveling to a new
home, honeybees stake everything on a process that includes collective
fact-finding, vigorous debate, and consensus building. In fact, as
world-renowned animal behaviorist Thomas Seeley reveals, these
incredible insects have much to teach us when it comes to collective
wisdom and effective decision making. A remarkable and richly
illustrated account of scientific discovery, Honeybee Democracy brings
together, for the first time, decades of Seeley's pioneering research to
tell the amazing story of house hunting and democratic debate among the
honeybees.
In the late spring and early summer, as a bee colony becomes
overcrowded, a third of the hive stays behind and rears a new queen,
while a swarm of thousands departs with the old queen to produce a
daughter colony. Seeley describes how these bees evaluate potential nest
sites, advertise their discoveries to one another, engage in open
deliberation, choose a final site, and navigate together--as a swirling
cloud of bees--to their new home. Seeley investigates how evolution has
honed the decision-making methods of honeybees over millions of years,
and he considers similarities between the ways that bee swarms and
primate brains process information. He concludes that what works well
for bees can also work well for people: any decision-making group should
consist of individuals with shared interests and mutual respect, a
leader's influence should be minimized, debate should be relied upon,
diverse solutions should be sought, and the majority should be counted
on for a dependable resolution.
An impressive exploration of animal behavior, Honeybee Democracy shows
that decision-making groups, whether honeybee or human, can be smarter
than even the smartest individuals in them.
