Andrew​ ​Meissner

Kaia​ ​Kennedy

Biology​ ​GT​ ​1

November​ ​3,​ ​2017

Honey​ ​Bee​ ​CER

If​ ​bees​ ​were​ ​to​ ​work​ ​independently​ ​within​ ​a​ ​colony,​ ​it​ ​would​ ​be​ ​detrimental,​ ​to​ ​the​ ​bees

and​ ​the​ ​hive,​ ​because​ ​energy​ ​is​ ​saved​ ​when​ ​the​ ​tasks​ ​of​ ​the​ ​hive​ ​are​ ​completed​ ​together.​ ​To

begin,​ ​the​ ​responsibilities​ ​for​ ​bees​ ​are​ ​separated​ ​by​ ​age​ ​For​ ​example,​ ​worker​ ​bees​ ​3-5​ ​days​ ​old

feed​ ​older​ ​larvae,​ ​(​DTC​ ​Healthcare​ ​Ltd.​)​ ​however,​ ​they​ ​must​ ​cooperate​ ​in​ ​order​ ​to​ ​accomplish

every​ ​task​ ​and​ ​keep​ ​the​ ​hive​ ​efficient.​ ​By​ ​working​ ​together,​ ​the​ ​bees​ ​save​ ​energy.​ ​If​ ​the​ ​bees

were​ ​to​ ​work​ ​independently,​ ​and​ ​they​ ​did​ ​whatever​ ​job​ ​they​ ​saw​ ​that​ ​needed​ ​to​ ​be​ ​done,​ ​then

there​ ​would​ ​be​ ​some​ ​tasks​ ​that​ ​would​ ​never​ ​be​ ​completed,​ ​and​ ​this​ ​would​ ​not​ ​be​ ​as​ ​efficient​ ​and

waste​ ​energy.​ ​Even​ ​if​ ​the​ ​bees​ ​still​ ​had​ ​tasks​ ​that​ ​were​ ​separated​ ​by​ ​age,​ ​because​ ​they​ ​are​ ​not

communicating​ ​on​ ​tasks​ ​such​ ​as​ ​finding​ ​honey​ ​and​ ​guarding​ ​the​ ​hive,​ ​they​ ​will​ ​ultimately​ ​waste

energy,​ ​and​ ​this​ ​would​ ​be​ ​detrimental​ ​to​ ​the​ ​bees​ ​because​ ​they​ ​are​ ​not​ ​as​ ​productive​ ​and

efficient.​ ​When​ ​bees​ ​do​ ​work​ ​together,​ ​they​ ​can​ ​save​ ​energy​ ​and​ ​be​ ​more​ ​productive​ ​and

efficient,​ ​which​ ​will​ ​lead​ ​to​ ​the​ ​colony​ ​expanding.

In​ ​addition,​ ​bees​ ​use​ ​a​ ​dance​ ​to​ ​communicate​ ​to​ ​the​ ​other​ ​worker​ ​bees​ ​where​ ​pollen,

nectar,​ ​and​ ​other​ ​food​ ​sources​ ​are.​ ​In​ ​order​ ​to​ ​communicate​ ​the​ ​location​ ​of​ ​flowers,​ ​bees​ ​use​ ​a

“waggle​ ​dance”​ ​to​ ​show​ ​the​ ​distance​ ​of​ ​the​ ​location,​ ​and​ ​the​ ​direction​ ​of​ ​it​ ​(VetSci,​ ​2011).​ ​This

communication​ ​between​ ​bees​ ​is​ ​very​ ​important​ ​because​ ​by​ ​telling​ ​other​ ​bees​ ​the​ ​location​ ​of​ ​a

food​ ​source,​ ​they​ ​save​ ​energy​ ​by​ ​not​ ​having​ ​every​ ​bee​ ​find​ ​the​ ​food​ ​source.​ ​Saving​ ​this​ ​energy
allows​ ​bees​ ​to​ ​become​ ​more​ ​efficient​ ​and​ ​productive,​ ​and​ ​they​ ​can​ ​make​ ​more​ ​food​ ​and​ ​expand

the​ ​population.​ ​If​ ​they​ ​worked​ ​independently​ ​in​ ​the​ ​hive,​ ​they​ ​would​ ​waste​ ​time​ ​and​ ​energy

finding​ ​food​ ​sources​ ​instead​ ​of​ ​collecting​ ​pollen​ ​and​ ​nectar​ ​to​ ​take​ ​back​ ​to​ ​the​ ​hive​ ​to​ ​share​ ​with

the​ ​rest​ ​of​ ​the​ ​colony,​ ​which​ ​would​ ​be​ ​detrimental​ ​to​ ​the​ ​colony.

Furthermore,​ ​the​ ​bees​ ​in​ ​a​ ​colony​ ​work​ ​together​ ​to​ ​know​ ​when​ ​to​ ​move​ ​to​ ​a​ ​new​ ​colony

location,​ ​and​ ​where​ ​they​ ​should​ ​go.​ ​The​ ​decisions​ ​of​ ​a​ ​hive​ ​are​ ​dictated​ ​by​ ​older​ ​worker​ ​bees

and​ ​not​ ​solely​ ​the​ ​queen,​ ​which​ ​includes​ ​deciding​ ​when​ ​to​ ​move​ ​to​ ​a​ ​different​ ​hive,​ ​and​ ​is​ ​done

by​ ​one​ ​bee​ ​grabbing​ ​another​ ​bee​ ​and​ ​vibrating​ ​its​ ​body​ ​to​ ​change​ ​the​ ​second​ ​bee’s​ ​behavior

(University​ ​of​ ​North​ ​Carolina​ ​at​ ​Charlotte,​ ​2007).​ ​This​ ​group​ ​decision​ ​making​ ​process​ ​saves

energy​ ​because​ ​every​ ​bee​ ​is​ ​following​ ​the​ ​same​ ​directions,​ ​and​ ​this​ ​means​ ​that​ ​they​ ​do​ ​not​ ​have

to​ ​waste​ ​energy​ ​making​ ​their​ ​own​ ​decisions.​ ​While​ ​bees​ ​are​ ​not​ ​capable​ ​of​ ​complex​ ​thought,

they​ ​can​ ​make​ ​decisions.​ ​However,​ ​by​ ​not​ ​having​ ​to​ ​make​ ​their​ ​own​ ​decisions,​ ​and​ ​being

instructed​ ​on​ ​what​ ​to​ ​do,​ ​they​ ​save​ ​energy.​ ​This​ ​also​ ​means​ ​that​ ​bees​ ​will​ ​work​ ​together​ ​more,

and​ ​dividing​ ​work​ ​saves​ ​energy.​ ​This​ ​process​ ​of​ ​group​ ​decisions​ ​is​ ​important,​ ​especially​ ​when

deciding​ ​where​ ​to​ ​move​ ​the​ ​colony.​ ​If​ ​a​ ​colony​ ​is​ ​preparing​ ​to​ ​move,​ ​such​ ​as​ ​selecting​ ​a​ ​new

hive​ ​location,​ ​and​ ​telling​ ​others​ ​that​ ​they​ ​are​ ​about​ ​to​ ​move,​ ​it​ ​is​ ​beneficial​ ​to​ ​collaborate​ ​to

make​ ​these​ ​decisions.​ ​They​ ​will​ ​save​ ​energy​ ​by​ ​choosing​ ​a​ ​hive​ ​together​ ​instead​ ​of​ ​every​ ​bee

choosing​ ​their​ ​own​ ​hive.​ ​Then,​ ​when​ ​they​ ​move​ ​they​ ​will​ ​save​ ​energy​ ​because​ ​they​ ​will​ ​be

communicating​ ​with​ ​each​ ​other​ ​when​ ​to​ ​move,​ ​and​ ​this​ ​will​ ​be​ ​done​ ​in​ ​a​ ​group​ ​effort.​ ​If​ ​they​ ​did

not​ ​communicate​ ​through​ ​the​ ​relocation​ ​process,​ ​it​ ​would​ ​be​ ​detrimental​ ​to​ ​the​ ​hive​ ​because​ ​they

would​ ​end​ ​up​ ​wasting​ ​energy​ ​by​ ​not​ ​making​ ​a​ ​group​ ​decision​ ​and​ ​communicating​ ​because​ ​this

means​ ​that​ ​every​ ​bee​ ​has​ ​to​ ​make​ ​their​ ​own​ ​decisions.
 Finally,​ ​honeybees​ ​work​ ​together​ ​to​ ​keep​ ​the​ ​hive​ ​at​ ​a​ ​stable​ ​temperature.​ ​When

honeybees​ ​are​ ​in​ ​groups​ ​of​ ​about​ ​10​ ​or​ ​more,​ ​they​ ​can​ ​sense​ ​rapid​ ​temperature​ ​changes,​ ​and

react​ ​by​ ​fanning​ ​their​ ​wings​ ​to​ ​keep​ ​the​ ​hive​ ​cool​ ​in​ ​order​ ​to​ ​protect​ ​the​ ​larvae​ ​(University​ ​of

Colorado​ ​at​ ​Boulder,​ ​2016).​ ​This​ ​collaboration​ ​between​ ​the​ ​bees,​ ​which​ ​is​ ​essential​ ​to​ ​keep​ ​the

hive​ ​at​ ​a​ ​suitable​ ​temperature,​ ​is​ ​very​ ​beneficial​ ​because​ ​it​ ​saves​ ​energy.​ ​One​ ​of​ ​the​ ​many

reasons​ ​that​ ​they​ ​fan​ ​the​ ​hive​ ​is​ ​to​ ​protect​ ​the​ ​larvae​ ​in​ ​the​ ​hive.​ ​By​ ​working​ ​together,​ ​especially

in​ ​large​ ​groups,​ ​they​ ​can​ ​effectively​ ​cool​ ​down​ ​the​ ​hive.​ ​Collaboration​ ​saves​ ​energy​ ​because

they​ ​don’t​ ​have​ ​to​ ​accomplish​ ​such​ ​a​ ​large​ ​job​ ​by​ ​themselves,​ ​and​ ​thus​ ​save​ ​energy​ ​that​ ​can​ ​be

used​ ​for​ ​other​ ​tasks.​ ​If​ ​the​ ​bees​ ​did​ ​not​ ​work​ ​together​ ​to​ ​accomplish​ ​the​ ​task,​ ​and​ ​instead​ ​tried​ ​to

cool​ ​the​ ​hive​ ​on​ ​their​ ​own,​ ​there​ ​could​ ​be​ ​a​ ​possibility​ ​of​ ​the​ ​hive​ ​overheating.​ ​This​ ​would​ ​kill

the​ ​larvae,​ ​reducing​ ​the​ ​population,​ ​and​ ​wasting​ ​the​ ​energy​ ​that​ ​went​ ​into​ ​creating​ ​that​ ​group​ ​of

larvae,​ ​and​ ​having​ ​a​ ​detrimental​ ​effect​ ​to​ ​both​ ​the​ ​bees​ ​and​ ​the​ ​hive.​ ​To​ ​conclude,​ ​working

independently​ ​would​ ​be​ ​detrimental​ ​to​ ​the​ ​bee​ ​and​ ​the​ ​hive,​ ​because​ ​it​ ​would​ ​require​ ​more

energy​ ​that​ ​is​ ​not​ ​necessary​ ​to​ ​use.​ ​By​ ​communicating​ ​and​ ​collaborating​ ​with​ ​one​ ​another,​ ​bees

can​ ​be​ ​more​ ​efficient​ ​and​ ​productive,​ ​and​ ​benefit​ ​from​ ​this​ ​tremendously.
 ​ ​References

DTC​ ​Healthcare​ ​Ltd.​ ​(n.d.).​ ​Life​ ​in​ ​the​ ​Hive​ ​[Infographic;​ ​Google​ ​Doc].

University​ ​of​ ​Colorado​ ​at​ ​Boulder.​ ​(2016,​ ​May​ ​9).​ ​Honeybees​ ​more​ ​likely​ ​to​ ​regulate​ ​hives

thermostat​ ​during​ ​rapid​ ​temperature​ ​increases.​ ​ScienceDaily​.​ ​Retrieved​ ​from

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/05/160509085111.htm

University​ ​of​ ​North​ ​Carolina​ ​at​ ​Charlotte.​ ​(2007,​ ​June​ ​16).​ ​Leaderless​ ​Honeybee​ ​Can​ ​Organize,

Undergraduate​ ​Research​ ​Shows.​ ​ScienceDaily​.​ ​Retrieved​ ​from

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070611154001.htm

VetSci.​ ​(2011,​ ​August​ ​13).​ ​The​ ​Dance​ ​Language​ ​of​ ​Honeybees​ ​[Infographic;​ ​Google​ ​Doc].