Communication, learning and decision-making in bees.

In many social insect species, workers communicate about profitable food sources or nest-sites. Honeybees use the waggle dance to direct nest-mates to profitable resources. Many ants and tropical bees use pheromone trails. However, not all species communicate about foraging sites furthermore many individuals in species with communication often search for food independently. The project investigates the circumstances that favour different information-use strategies and explores the relationship between flexible individual foraging strategies and colony fitness.