This system – dubbed the ant colony optimisation method – has actually been turned into an algorithm for improving human scheduling, telecommunications, transport and logistics across the world. Experts have used ant optimisation algorithms for railway planning, for instance, and Dorigo developed AntNET, a system to efficiently move information around within communication networks.
Democratic honeybees
Honeybees use a method very similar to ants’ optimised foraging when it comes to finding their new nesting spot.
Several scout bees fly out and look for options at random, like ants. But instead of leaving trails of pheromones, they come back to the nest and directly communicate their preferences. They do a waggle dance for their nest mates, rhythmically shaking their bodies to convey whether they think the new site has what it takes: how safe it is, how close, how large, how well-positioned. The better the nest site, the longer and more vigorous the dancing.
The waggle dance also describes the exact location – how far to go and in what direction the nest mates need to fly – and another round of bees is then sent out to corroborate these findings. When they return with they give their verdict in dance, too, either supporting their predecessors or offering new options.
Over time, a preferred location naturally emerges: a couple of dozen bees return from their expedition with positive dances for the same place. They reach a quorum, and they move accordingly from there, like in a human democracy.
