Skip to main content
Entomology 2021 Main banner
Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.
Presentation Icons
In-Person
In-Person
Livestream
Livestream
On-Demand
On-Demand
Student Competition
Student Competition
Video Chat
Video Chat
Ticketed Event
Ticketed Event
Poster Icons
Student Competition
Student Competition
In-Person
In-Person
Poster
Poster
On-Demand
On-Demand
Q&A ViewAttendees 2

Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity

10-Minute Paper

SysEB: Social Insects

X-ray CT analysis of the internal structure of honey bee (Apis mellifera) swarms

Wednesday, November 3, 2021
3:30 PM – 3:42 PM MT
Location: Colorado Convention Center, Meeting Room 403-404
In-Person
In the spring, thousands of Apis mellifera  worker bees and a queen fly from their hive in search of a new home. They self-assemble into a swarm that hangs from a tree branch for several days. While the social behavior of swarming bees has been thoroughly investigated, little is known about the swarm's mechanical properties and internal structure. We set up swarms of 3000 - 8000 bees in an x-ray CT machine and reconstruct the 3D arrangement of individual bees inside the swarm. Some bees in the swarm are stationary and hang from the attachment board or link their bodies into hanging chains to support the swarm structure. We measure the arrangement of bees at different temperatures to show that bees vary the distribution of chains and empty space to regulate the temperature within the swarm. Individual bee tracking between CT scans shows that the chains of bees are used as passageways by bees moving through the swarm. Despite not having a clear leader, the bees self-assemble into a stable swarm, maintain a comfortable swarm temperature, and leave some bees free to scout for hives.