A wonderful book by BfD Trust Patron Professor Tom Seeley. Contained here is explanation of how honey bee colonies reach consensus to make the right decisions, hence the book’s title. Understanding how a honey bee society(one colony) collects facts, debates them and then acts upon the majority decision, will enhance your appreciation of bees: by taking information from many individuals, the best decision is made. There is guidance here for running our own societies and how groups can best achieve optimal decision making.
The book explains the work of many researchers, which together with Seeley’s own research, provide excellent insight into how simple but ingenious research can be designed and then interpreted. The book contains much information about natural nesting of honey bees, and this is used to explain how swarms arrive at decisions on nest site selection. This involves accumulating a diversity of knowledge, enabling a competition between the variety of ideas (the different nesting places identified by the scout bees), and voting by the population. The book contains an extensive notes section that provides further helpful explanation of many topics. Seeley’s compelling writing style, combined with a beautifully produced and illustrated text, make this a highly attractive and informative work that will deepen your admiration for honey bee societies.
Thomas D Seeley
2010, 273 pages Hardcover