The Power of Bee Democracy

Credits:
Narrator/Writer: Stephanie Sammann
Writer: Ashleen Knutsen

Imagery courtesy of Getty Images

References:

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As a beekeeper I’ve noticed that the hives I’ve kept myself - the ones I’m most gentle with and take the greatest care of, feeding well and keeping free of parasites - are far more passive than those I work with commercially.
Wether it’s the bees recognising me by something such as my scent, or the fact I tend to be more gentle with them I’m not sure.
I’ve talked to others who say the same.
I hope one day someone does some scientific research into the idea, I think bees are a lot smarter than we realise, perhaps for many more creatures too

[DIYSTUFF]

Amazing, even the bees use metric system :D

[fireaza]

It seems a bit foolish for all the bees to decide on one single location for the new hive. They should have a backup location, just in case something goes wrong, a "plan bee".

[Hexlattice]

Love the tie to engineering and computer science! Nature's been at it for so long, it would be unwise to not learn from it!

[sommeone]

Athenians: We invented democracy!

Bees: *Amateurs.*

[mal]

I think one interesting implication for accepting that bees act as a super organism through collective decision making is that human societies function in the same way. By pooling our collective knowledge and decision making ability we are able to achieve feats vastly more advanced than any individual person could do. I mean, we've been to the moon, were dissecting partical physics, we can give someone a new heart. Bees show us that our strength has, does, and always will lie in cooperation, not competition

[suleymancaliskan]

This is the only channel that I truly enjoy, the content, the presenter, the length everything is in a perfect ratio, as all things should be.

[franklinz]

You see, the bees actually investigate the sites themselves before they vote, and they change their mind when the site they supported was no longer favorable. The same can not be said for humans.

[Ericlee-nedu]

I'm a hobby beekeeper and I'm always being blown away watching them. The colony Is so complex and I think they are more in tune with their environment than anything else on earth. I don't think we can ever "understand" them, They are operating on a Level way above us.

[dCash]

I cannot think of a better way to start my morning. As always truly mesmerizing

[emmetthowell]

I’ve watched this video so many times but just now it brought back the memories of when I was in 3rd grade my PE teacher created an exercise thing that mimicked a bee waggle dance to keep us interested

[hughjass]

This channel is in my top 5 on YouTube, along with RE. The consistency and quality of the videos is incredible, you should be proud

[rodyates]

This really is a wonderful video.that opens new dimensions on bees and thinking. After 60 years of keeping bees, I have been wondering how I could convey some unique insights of my own, and this makes it feel imperative to add what I know. There is so much misunderstanding of bees propagated by the wrong type of videos, that videos like this might reverse the trend at last. Excellent !

[EveloGrave]

Bees and ants have always been my favorite insects ever since I learned about how they work. I became enamored with hive minds in science fiction and reality. Makes me very elated to see other people share such an interest in them.

[AinSophAur]

Narrator has a awesome voice, a very natural and native accent that is really clear and understandable. Subject treated is surprisingly interesting and well described. A superb job, indeed!

[oldmandoinghighkicksonlyin]

Bee242: "Yo, stop dancing for a sec, I need to tell you something."
Bee3351: "Up yours, fascist!"

[davebartosh]

I was at a backyard BBQ once. All of a sudden a swarm passed through as the bees were relocating. Standing next to a tornado of bees is quite humbling. They flew about 3 feet from me, paid me no mind. They fly in circles around the queen as she goes. It looks like a tornado.

[joshuaidugboe]

Does society/civilisation count as a swarm intellegence

[pombot]

I like how Malcolm in the Middle sort of knew this when they introduced the character Barton: The only classmate in the series (S3E9) that was smarter than Malcolm and having described his mind like a hive of bees - Each one with a brain like Malcolms...burn.

-Kind of a niche comment haha

[Rapidly_]

"How did you come up with the re-entry trajectory of those hypersonic vehicles?"

"We asked the bees."

"The bees?"

"Yeah, they're great at decision making."