Researchers uncover brain mechanism that determines bee roles.

Researchers at Heinrich-Heine University Düsseldorf have identified specific brain circuits that influence the roles of bees as they age, determining whether they care for the queen, guard the hive, or forage for food. When these circuits were deactivated, older worker bees reverted to nursing the queen, highlighting the neural mechanisms behind the division of labor in bee colonies. This study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, sheds light on how bees organize their tasks without a central authority.