Spontaneous and information-induced bursting activities in honeybee hives

Social entrainment is important for functioning of beehive organization. By analyzing a dataset of approximately 1000 honeybees (Apis mellifera) tracked in 5 trials, we discovered that honeybees exhibit synchronized activity (bursting behavior) in their locomotion. These bursts occurred spontaneously, potentially as a result of intrinsic bee interactions. The empirical data and simulations demonstrate that physical contact is one of the mechanisms for these bursts. We found that a subset of honeybees within a hive which become active before the peak of each burst, and we refer to these bees as pioneer bees. Pioneer bees are not selected randomly, but rather, are linked to foraging behavior and waggle dancing, which may help spread external information in the hive. By using transfer entropy, we found that information flows from pioneer bees to non-pioneer bees, which suggest that the bursting behavior is caused by foraging behavior and spreading the information through the hive and promoting integrated group behavior among individuals.

Automated summary

Social entrainment is crucial for the functioning of bee colonies. Through analysis of tracking data from around 1000 honeybees, it was observed that honeybees exhibit synchronized bursting behavior during locomotion. These bursts, which occur spontaneously, are possibly a result of intrinsic interactions among the bees. Physical contact was found to be a mechanism for these bursts. Pioneer bees, linked to foraging behavior and waggle dancing, play a key role in spreading external information within the hive. Transfer entropy analysis demonstrated that information flows from pioneer bees to non-pioneer bees, indicating that bursting behavior is influenced by foraging and information propagation, promoting integrated group behavior among individuals.