Honeybees are Observing Social Distancing When Threatened by Mites

The term "social distance" has become all too common in the last 18 months. But it seems out we're not the only ones that avoid our colleagues when their health is in jeopardy: study reveals honeybees do it as well.

The researchers also discovered differences in where bees groomed one another: in uninfected colonies, grooming is concentrated among the young in the hive's center, but when mites were present, it was even more so. "They're presumably focusing their attention [efforts] on the more vital aspect of the colony, leaving forager grooming to the foragers," Cini explained.

Next, the researchers conducted studies in the lab, infecting small groups of around 12 juvenile bees with the mites intentionally and comparing them to uninfected groups. This time, the researchers saw no increase in social separation among infected groups, which Cini believes might be since foragers and immature bees need to keep their distance when mites are present and that bees rely on one another.

"Social distancing is likely too straining on a small scale," he added.

Socially Distanced Hives

However, there were changes in grooming behavior: infected bees were brushed, examined, and had food shared with them more frequently than uninfected bees.

The findings, according to Cini, demonstrated the importance of natural selection in the evolution of social behavior. He said, "As well as dynamic change in social behavior to adapt to an ever-changing environment."

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