Another interesting bit of research from one of Dr. Seeley’s star protégés:

 

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/367314247_Honey_bee_drones_are_synchronously_hyperactive_inside_the_nest

 

High-resolution recordings of drone activity suggested synchronized hyperactivity that while weather-dependent also appears to have a social component to it.

 

From the abstract:

 

‘We find strong synchronization across the drones in the start/end of activity, such that the drones in the colony exhibit a ``shared activation period''. The duration of the shared activation period depends on the weather; when conditions are suitable for mating flights, the activation period is extended. At the individual-level, we see that the activation order changes from day to day, suggesting that both the external influence of weather conditions, as well as exchange of social information, influences individual activation. Using an accumulation-to-threshold model of drone activation, we show that simulations using social information match experimental observations.’

 

They summarize in part a suggestion for further research in this area, which may yield clues about potential coordination related to DCA’s:

 

‘In conjunction with specific experimental manipulations, one could determine how internal, external, and social factors influence activation. Testing how drones coordinate their in-nest behavior may also provide additional insights into the potential for coordination outside of the nest (reviewed in Mariette et al. (2021).’

 

Always interesting to see how the student reflects the teacher. In the write up, Dr. Smith is quoted, "Whenever there is something that people say is uninteresting, or that has been skipped over, then I think those are the most useful and interesting places to go, simply because you might be the first person to actually look and see." This is the working motto of Michael L. Smith, an affiliate member of the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior and the Cluster of Excellence CASCB and currently a professor at Auburn University.

 

https://phys.org/news/2023-10-lazy-honey-bee-drones-members.html

 

Reminds me that Dr. Seeley recently observed:

 

‘… there are countless elements of the lives of honey bees that remain mysterious. It’s hard to put a number on this, but I estimate that the fraction of the biology of the honey bee that anybody has examined carefully — enough that we have a good level of understanding — is less than 50%. ‘

 

 


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