The insect world is often perceived as a collection of simple automatons, where behavior is rigidly programmed and individual differences hold little significance. Behavioral science is revealing that even within a bee colony, consistent individual differences exist. This raises a compelling question: Can an insect, with its tiny brain, truly possess stable, measurable characteristics that function as a form of personality?
Defining Personality in Non-Human Animals
In non-human animals, “personality” describes consistent differences in behavior observed among individuals of the same species, rather than complex psychological states. These stable patterns are often referred to as “behavioral syndromes” or “coping styles” in behavioral ecology. A true personality trait must demonstrate consistency in an individual’s behavior both over time and across different environmental contexts.
A key concept is the “reaction norm,” which describes the range of possible behaviors an individual can exhibit in response to external conditions. Personality emerges when individuals show stable, rank-order differences in their typical behavior. Therefore, personality in a bee is defined by repeatable variation in a specific action, such as how quickly it responds to a threat or its propensity to explore a new area.
Observable Behavioral Differences Among Bees
Studies focusing on honeybees and bumblebees have documented distinct individual differences in behavior that meet the criteria for personality traits.
Boldness and Exploration
One well-documented trait is boldness, which manifests as a tendency toward novelty-seeking and risk-taking. Researchers identify bold honeybees as “scouts,” which are the few individuals—less than 5% of a swarm—that actively search for new food sources or new nest cavities during a crisis.
This exploratory tendency is considered a personality trait because these nest scouts are over three times more likely to also become food scouts, demonstrating consistency across different contexts. Scientists measure this by individually marking bees and observing whether they consistently search for new resources or rely on information from other foragers. Bumblebees also exhibit consistent differences in their decision-making, with some individuals being fast but inaccurate in choosing flowers, while others are slower and more precise.
Aggression
Another measurable trait is aggression, which shows stable variation among individual honeybee workers. Individual aggression is quantified in a controlled setting by measuring a bee’s sting response and movement rate when exposed to a mild electric shock. This individual responsiveness is directly correlated with the overall defensive behavior of their home colony. Colonies themselves can be consistently classified as more or less aggressive based on standardized tests, such as counting the number of guard bees that emerge to sting a leather patch treated with an alarm pheromone.
The Role of Individual Variation in Colony Efficiency
The existence of diverse personalities within a colony provides an evolutionary advantage that enhances the group’s overall fitness. This variation ensures the colony possesses a “collective personality,” a consistent behavioral profile measurable in traits like defensive response or foraging activity. Colonies with a mix of individuals are better equipped to respond to the unpredictable and changing demands of their environment.
For instance, the small proportion of novelty-seeking scouts ensures the colony can quickly locate new resources or a new home when the old one is no longer viable. While the majority of cautious, or “shy,” bees conserve energy by exploiting known resources, the bold minority provides the necessary risk-taking labor for survival during a crisis. A mix of individual strategies, such as having both fast-and-sloppy and slow-and-careful decision-makers, allows the colony to maximize resource collection across a variety of ecological conditions.
These individual behavioral differences contribute to the colony’s polyethism, or the division of labor, by influencing which bees perform which tasks. This division, which is often age-based, is further refined by individual temperament. Ultimately, the consistent behavioral traits of individual bees translate into colony-level traits strongly tied to long-term colony success, including productivity and winter survival.