Living Control Systems: Exploring a Teleonomic Account of Behavior in Apis mellifera

Area of Science:

• Behavioral Ecology
• Insect Behavior
• Biophysics

Background:

• Understanding animal behavior often involves analyzing responses to environmental challenges.
• Honey bee foraging is crucial for colony survival and requires complex navigation strategies.
• Perceptual Control Theory (PCT) offers a framework for studying goal-directed, self-regulating systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate honey bee self-regulatory foraging behavior using Perceptual Control Theory (PCT).
• To model how honey bees maintain goal-directed flight towards a feeding site despite wind disturbances.
• To determine if bees employ specific flight patterns to counteract wind during foraging.

Main Methods:

• Development of a PCT-based computational model for honey bee foraging behavior.
• Controlled experimental setup to simulate wind disturbances during bee foraging flights.
• Observation and analysis of individual bee flight paths and approach patterns to a feeding target.

Main Results:

• 13 out of 14 honey bees successfully adjusted flight paths to overcome wind disturbances.
• Bees consistently reached the sucrose-rich feeding target despite experimental challenges.
• Individual bees showed variability in adjustment but predominantly adopted headwind approach patterns.

Conclusions:

• Perceptual Control Theory (PCT) provides a valid framework for understanding honey bee self-regulation.
• Honey bee foraging behavior is dynamic and self-regulative, not merely linear input-output responses.
• The findings support a teleonomic classification of bee behavior, focusing on its functional purpose.