6.2 Intra-species communication & Foraging in social insects

Author: Leo B. Carter

Abstract

Some social insects communicate when collecting food or looking for new nest sites in variety of different ways. Recruitment tactics are crucial for scouts to communicate the location of new potential resources and nest sites to their nest mates. The forms of communication necessary depend on distance from the nest to the resource, the type of resource, and the recognizable landmarks along the trajectory. Stingless bees employ a method of pilot flights in which they guide recruits to the newly found resources and use pheromones to either discourage or encourage exploitation of a certain site based on its profitability. In certain ant species, tandem runs and pheromone signals are employed to show recruits directly how to arrive at resources. The most complex communication system is employed by Apis mellifera (the honeybee), which employs a combination of a waggle dance on the comb surface to indicate distance and direction of a new site, a piping signal, a tremble dance, pheromones, and carried scent that are all used in recruitment and to communicating the quality and type of resource and its location. Path integration is used for greater accuracy in communication. The quorum rule is employed by both ants and bees in order to end recruitment and to ensure division of labor as well as the efficient exploitation of food resources. When communication methods are imprecise or insufficient, individuals in many insect species ignore nest mate signals and defer to previously acquired field knowledge and personal information on resource profitability and location to decide a course of action. Complex social communication has made eusocial insects some of the best exploiters of natural resources in the animal kingdom.