Honey Bee Scouts: 3 Ways to Recognize Them
Bees scouts
Every time a scout bee seeks out new resources, she displays certain behaviours that make her distinct from other foragers.
A scout and their recruits
The honey bee colony consists of two distinct search parties: scouts and recruiters. The former, scout bees explore the external environment to discover resources they can bring back to their community while sharing details on its location and condition. This valuable feedback encourages the collective decision-making process within the hive.
Scouts often look for the best places to find nectar and pollen, but they may also seek out water sources, plant resins or even potential locations for a new hive. In times when nectar is scarce, scouts can even point their fellow bees in the direction of existing hives! To communicate these valuable discoveries to other bees within the colony, Scouts use an intricate dance language that indicates where resources can be found as well as how good it is. The more enthralled a scout gets during their performance – which could range from jubilant twirls or circles around another bee-the higher quality resource he has stumbled across. Upon witnessing this exposition-like dance sequence, recruits interpret its message and then fly off in search of what was just advertised with such enthusiasm. What are the distinctions between scouts and recruits?
For successful foraging, the most adept fliers who know their surroundings well are chosen as scouts. Each day, they search for new resources while recruits visit the same source multiple times until it's no longer productive. When that happens, these recruits may fly around in a circle looking for more food nearby or return to the hive to receive further instructions on where else to look.
As a result of their short lifespan and the risks associated with foraging, most recruits do not have to change foraging grounds frequently. The majority of bees tend to stay in one area until they reach the end of life before departure.
Finding a new place to live
Prior to departing from the parental colony, scouts launch a mission to discover an appropriate new residence. This area might be located as far away as one mile or even closer if something especially suitable is found. Scouts inspect tree cavities, structures, abandoned hives, and any real estate that satisfies honey bee criteria for interior volume, opening size and protection.
As the scouts make their way back to the colony, they convey what they've discovered through a remarkable dance. The other scouts observe this performance and if enticed by the new site more than their own find, may change sides and repeat its movements too. This cycle of looking around and relocating continues until all bees reach an agreement about which location will become home. As swarming draws nearer, both the dancing activity and exchanging of ideas intensify significantly; once departing from their hive in search of a temporary resting spot outside of it, these same scouts continue exhibiting energetic gestures on behalf of that particular area.
An indication that a scout is nearby
It's not the outward appearance of a scout that sets her apart, but rather her actions and behaviour.
Scouts are known for their seemingly aimless flight in search of patches of flowers. Stopping only to drink a drop of nectar, they don't collect any honey or pollen into the baskets on their legs--they simply take a small sample back home.
When scouting out a potential new home, bees will search everywhere for something that piques their interest - from cracks and knotholes to mailboxes, owl boxes, birdhouses or beyond. They'll often spend time assessing the interior of a cavity-like bait hive in meticulous detail - measuring the volume of space inside and judging how wide the entrance is. Taking their sweet time with these evaluations helps them decide if they would be comfortable living there; after all, they always double-check and come back with some nest mates so everyone can have an opinion on it!
As if on a mission to find flowers, bees stumble upon something even better - a delectable-smelling hive that they can rob. These thieves follow their noses and inspect every junction between boxes, the space around the lid, or any other opening where there is an aroma of honey in search of their loot. And with all robbers come precautionary measures; these robber bees circle the targeted hive several times before departing as if fixing its exact location into memory for future use.
Scouting bees can be easily identified; they have an unhurried attitude towards their work, taking time to look around and ponder. Some seem like they are lost or disoriented while others appear almost nonchalant in their approach. If you spot these workers leisurely going about their duties, take a closer look – it could signify that a swarm is on its way! Observing the growing number of bees at your bait hive - from two or three to over fifty - brings forth much anticipation and excitement as you wonder if this will lead to something bigger.
