Temperature and social experience impact collective thermoregulatory behavior in the honeybee

Social organisms participate in collective behaviors to better manage ecological stress for the group. Social insects, such as the western honeybee (Apis mellifera), engage in thermoregulatory behaviors to help regulate temperatures for the hive. Fanning is an example of a collective thermoregulatory behavior in which bees flap their wings to circulate cool air into the hive. Individual participation in fanning is critical for hive survival and success. It is unknown how prior experiences, such as hotter temperatures and reduced social experience may impact collective behavioral responses. We hypothesize that thermal stress on individuals may influence necessary collective behaviors and that social experience during stress mediates this result. The honeybee is an excellent social organism to study this dynamic. Our results reveal that in heat-stressed bees the probability of fanning drops drastically, and the temperature of fanning increases significantly. Furthermore, social experience altered the impacts of thermal stress on this social thermoregulatory behavior. Our study highlights how collective behaviors in social animals may be driven by information from various environmental sources, including temperature and social factors.