A new study seeks to challenge the conventional view of a honey bee colony. By viewing colonies as superorganism s , the fundamental biology of the honey bee colony is redefined. These insights may have implications for modern beekeeping.
According to the prevailing view, a honey bee colony consists of a very large number of individual organisms; specifically, a queen, 200-300 drones and tens of thousands of worker bees. All these individuals have their own specific tasks that contribute to the development and functioning of the bee colony.
However, a new study now puts forward the idea of viewing the bee colony from a different perspective, in which each queen and her colony instead constitute a superorganism – that is, a single animal made up of bees in much the same way as our bodies are made up of cells. The authors of the article are Hannes Bonhoff, who recently completed his Master’s degree in biology at Lund University, and Heikki Helanterä, a professor of evolutionary biology and genomics at the University of Oulu in Finland.
“We have analysed what it means for a bee colony to be a single organism, which opens up new insights into the fascinating life of the honey bee,” says Hannes Bonhoff.
He argues that the bee colony, as a superorganism, can be likened to an individual mammal that goes through a period of gestation involving extensive parental care. He notes, for example, that every generation of a bee colony develops from a single bee and progresses through the same stages as a mammal, that is, from embryo and foetus to juvenile and adult, and that this is accompanied by an inevitable biological ageing process, which means that the bee colony dies after a few years.
“When this superorganism reproduces, the offspring are cared for with great dedication by the parent, in some cases even at the cost of the parent’s life,” says Hannes Bonhoff.
Honey bees prepare to reproduce by swarming. Essentially, this means that the queen and half the bee colony fly off to find a new hive. A new queen is left behind in the old hive; she will form the basis of a new bee colony, which will then develop within the remaining part of the mother colony.
“Parental care therefore goes so far that the offspring inherits the mother's nest, whilst she herself risks her life by swarming away to settle elsewhere,” says Hannes Bonhoff.
The offspring thus develop in a safe environment within their mother colony and are provided with food, shelter and a well-constructed hive. The mother colony also helps the offspring to learn the bee's dance language and guides them to the most nutritious flowers.
According to Hannes Bonhoff, viewing the bee colony as a superorganism is valuable for the global beekeepingcommunity to safeguard this essential pollinator. A shift in perspective offers crucial insights into how best to deal with parasites such as the Varroa mite, a feared arachnid that preys on honey bees worldwide. It also changes the way we should view current methods of forcibly replacing queens and artificially preventing swarming.
“Modern beekeeping methods are based on the idea of keeping the colony young and healthy indefinitely. Our study shows that such interventions fundamentally conflict with the natural reproductive strategy and the ability to cope with parasites,” says Hannes Bonhoff, who advocates for the development of more sustainable and animal-friendly methods.
The study has its origins in a thesis written by Hannes Bonhoff as part of his Master’s degree in biology. The supervisors for that degree project were Heikki Helanterä as well as Niklas Wahlberg, professor of systematic biology at Lund University. Niklas Wahlberg finds the study interesting because it sheds light on the concept of superorganisms.
“The concept itself has been around for a long time, but this is the first time it has been applied in a genuine biological context. It’s fascinating to think that, just as individual cells make up an organism, individual bees with different roles make up the superorganism,” concludes Niklas Wahlberg.
Insectes Sociaux
On the life history of the honey bee superorganism