PART 05 [SDF2024] Research Findings 4-1 - The Bee Colony as a Superorganism: A Proactive Strategy for Survival 2024.11.12 All Videos
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The bee colony, that quintessential “superorganism” whereby different organisms of the same species interact together as if they were one single organism, adheres to a sophisticated division of labor based on the age of worker bees. Are there insights we can gain from bee colonies, so often compared to human societies, in the strategies they adopt to maximize survival and sustainability, as we look for strategies to solve our own problems of division and extinction? This session aims to approach the problems of generational conflict and population aging we face today through the lens of the bee colony. In particular, it will examine the strategy of elderly worker bees, who as they get older do more of the foraging for the colony, taking responsibility for supplying energy to the colony, and the implications for our own aging societies. While being cognizant that human societies differ from bee colonies in not only complexity but also in the cultural values and convictions that make us who we are, this session will shed light on opportunities to apply the survival strategies of bee colonies to our own societies.