Science Daily was recently buzzing about the decision-making strategies of bees:
Scientists had known that honeybee scouts “waggle dance” to report on food. Seeley and his colleagues, however, have confirmed that they dance to report on real estate, too, as part of their group decision-making process.
The better the housing site, the stronger the waggle dance, the researchers found, and that prompts other scouts to visit a recommended site. If they agree it’s a good choice, they also dance to advertise the site and revisit it frequently. Scouts committed to different sites compete to attract uncommitted scouts to their sites, the researchers have discovered, but because the bees grade their recruitment signals in relation to site quality, the scouts build up most rapidly at the best site.
They say, the scientists, that humans could learn a thing or two from this system.
But I can’t help but imagine a troupe of wildly dancing real estate brokers attempting to outdo themselves on my lawn. Higher, sales professionals! Jump higher!