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Biology

Polyethism and Task Allocation in Honey Bee Colonies

Quick fact

In a honey bee colony, a single worker bee will perform tasks in a predictable sequence as she ages: first cleaning cells, then nursing brood, then building comb, and finally foraging. But if the colony suddenly needs more nurses, older bees can revert to nursing, adapting to the colony's demands within hours.

Why this is interesting

Every honey bee in a hive does a specific job—some nurse, some build, some forage—but did you know that any bee can switch tasks depending on what the colony needs? How does a hive 'decide' who does what?