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Honeybee Democracy

Tom Seeley explains the process by which swarming honeybees choose a new home.

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 Dr. Seeley explains, these incredible insects have much to teach us when it comes to collective wisdom and effective decision making.

A couple of questions he explores are: How does democracy work in a honeybee swarm? How exactly do the scout bees work together to achieve a collective intelligence? Watch the video to gain valuable insight from Dr. Seeley’s research.

Click on the link to watch the lecture from the Institute of Northern Ireland Beekeepers Honey Show in 2019: Video Link

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