Intelligent decisions from the hive mind: foragers and nectar receivers of Apis mellifera collaborate to optimise active forager numbers.

We present a differential equation-based mathematical model of nectar foraging by the honey bee Apis mellifera. The model focuses on two behavioural classes; nectar foragers and nectar receivers. Results generated from the model are used to demonstrate how different classes within a collective can collaborate to combine information and produce finely tuned decisions through simple interactions. In particular we show the importance of the 'search time' - the time a returning forager takes to find an available nectar receiver - in restricting the forager population to a level consistent with colony-wide needs.