376 ANNUAL REPORT SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION, 1955 



THE ROLE OF FOOD SHARING IN COLONY ORGANIZATION 



We have seen how food sharing is associated with the production 

 of distinctive odors, and so with the recognition of companions and 

 with the defense of the community. It can thus be appreciated that 

 food sharing serves, indirectly, as a means of communication between 

 the members of the colony. This is one of the most interesting aspects 

 of food sharing, but this habit has other uses connected with com- 

 munication, which are equally important. 



Figure 3. — Food being passed from one bee to another. Food sharing is the system of 

 communication that welds the honey-bee colony into a social unit. 



It plays the key role in the system of commmiication which enables 

 the new forager to learn about suitable crops, in that the new recruits 

 always receive a sample of the crop the colony is working ; their first 

 flight becomes a search for a crop with a similar scent. The food- 

 sharing habit enables the worker bees in the colony to be appraised 

 of the presence of their queen; a substance derived from her body 

 is conveyed from bee to bee in the shared food, and in the event of 

 any deficiency in that substance they take steps to rear another queen. 



