><snip>... it is this
>detailed working of the consensual mind that is the curious feature I am
>interested in.
>
>Any comments??
>
>David Warr
>Warrington
>Cheshire
>England
 
This is one of the most wonderfully intriguing aspects of a honey bee
colony, for sure.  Just how DO they "decide"?  How do they make decisions
like:  when to replace their queen by supersedure, whether or not to make
swarm preparations, which nectar sources to exploit, and other things like
selecting a home-site?  Somehow they select from numerous possibilities,
and it ends up unanimous.
 
What is of further fascination is that a colony is made up of several
sub-colonies. That is, the queen can mate with a number of drones.  So you
end up with many sub-colonies, each composed of sisters from a common
drone-father.
Yet, the colony still works together.
 
It's interesting to notice the differences in genetic expression as regards
appearance -- abdominal markings and colors can vary widely within a single
colony.
 
Then, too, if a colony barely survives a bad winter, who knows? it might be
just sisters of certain of the sub-colonies which actually survive, thanks
to some desirable combination of genes which they posess.
 
 
Would anyone care to comment on or explain the "colony mind," or for that
matter, colony "morale?"  Is there evidence of an "overlord" caste of
workers, for instance?