I found this interesting article on the internet, I thought I would share it with the forum.
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If you are interested in this pick up the book Honeybee Democracy. It is all about an in depth look at how decisions are made in the hive. It totally changed the way I think about bees.
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I love how this makes me feel about us humans and our own similar behaviors.
Ah, now I see where your critical mass concept comes from. 
You really need to get some of Thomas Seeley’s books, he loves bees as much as you do. Bees of all types. He is your US male soul mate! 
Hi Dawn, it was someone else a couple of weeks ago. Then the very next day I heard it mentioned on the radio in relation to human population urban density, something like that. After I mentioned it this morning to Lorne, I googled it & found this article. That’s why the words bees & critical mass are highlighted in the article.
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Seeley has a new book out shortly. I would love to catch him on the lecture circuit but the nearest he is getting to me is Germany. If you ever can grab the opportunity.
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Hi @Dee & @Dawn_SD I’m currently watching a You tube video of Thomas Seeley, I love his passion, I’m really honored that Dawn classified him as my U.S. soulmate.
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Yes…a good hour spent here
Hi Dee, I think that was the same talk I watched at a different venue. He’s very interesting. I’ve been telling home owners with bee infestations for years how the bees voted for their house to make a home. So I tell them to bee proof their house because if it’s the best spot in the area this time, it might still be the best spot next time a hive swarms.
I wish we were similar… if only we would try to come to some consensus as the bees do, rather than a simple majority. And if only we had “scout bees” looking for “good candidates”…
Main problem we have with this is that we have no sense of community. No one is interested in doing what is best for everyone as a collective, but more what is best for them as an individual. Also if only most people had a bees work ethic… So in that sense I think we will never be as good as bees at making decisions concerning our future.
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Totally agree. We are in the “Culture of Me”, not the culture of bees… 
Hi @Michael_Bush, @adagna & @Dawn_SD The way I see it is each of us are living organisms with a free will. We will decide for ourselves what we will do from one day to the next.
Apparently entomologists don’t view a single bee as a living organism, but the colony as a living organism. Each bee is just part of that living organism.
A bees living organism (the colony) is possibly just as much of a part of the “me culture” as we are.
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One day I will come to Australia with David and have a really long discussion with you about this over a couple of nice bottles of something. David has a pretty convincing theory that free will is an illusion.
I think that many have argued that a hive/colony is actually a superorganism, and again David would argue that we are too. Gets complicated, but when you think that we depend upon friendly bacteria in our gut to make certain vitamins for us, and friendly bacteria on our skin to outcompete the bad ones to prevent skin infections, you can see the point he is trying to make.
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I was thinking from a professional culinary standpoint I might just have to try one of those Bunya Nut pancakes with some of that jam. Purely for professional reasons
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Well, maybe we have to set up a group visit, just for professional reasons!
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Yes, look at the gusto some colonies( Italians are good at this) rob others