I know of no evidence that a guard or soldier bee has any such  awareness of threat, the concept of colony, or potential risk to self (death due to stinging).  On the contrary, their stinging can be explained by simple hard-wired responses to cues that trigger certain behaviors.  No awareness of colony, threat, defense, or self risk in required.

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In this discussion we have stayed away from the concept of consciousness.  In psychology we define consciousness as having an awareness.  We fancy ourselves as being aware of a past, present and expecting a future.  Are bees aware of their environment and position on a time line?  I expect not.  If you follow psychologist B. F. Skinner, our sense of consciousness is a function of a complex matrix of operantly conditioned behaviors.  I would suggest that the honeybee is a less complex example of the same - learned responses.  Considering consciousness and awareness is simply chasing ghosts.  The environment teaches and the organism learns.

What I find interesting is considering whether the operant conditioning experienced by the honeybee is a function of the individual bee or the colony.  I expect Dr. Seeley would suggest the latter.  The colony is the living unit in the bee world.

It is interesting to ponder this, but it will not change what I do in my beeyard today.

Larry Krengel

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