Insights from the biology of the Cape honey bee: understanding nuances of social relations in social insects

The unfolding appreciation of the effects of the parthenogenetic production of female eggs from laying workers of Cape honey bee workers on social relationships in colonies has proved to be a rich source of ideas regarding the interplay between individual fitness and colony fitness. This is particularly relevant in honey bees where workers may forgo individual fitness in favour of the fitness of the colony. The project that is proposed, is the completion of a book on the biology of the unique Cape honey bee population. The book will explore the historical contributions of a variety of individuals (from at least four continents) that has produced a richer understanding of the Cape honey bee and its implications for social complexity in honey bee colonies. The book will explore the deepening understanding of honey bee biology in general through the 20th century including the sequencing of the honey bee genome in 2003. The genomic data has provided a deeper layer of detail about the complexities of honey bee biology in the two decades since the sequence was published. This was produced an understanding of sociality in honey bees that makes them the “preeminent model for social evolution”. The fact that the Cape honey bee population is indigenous to the Western Cape provides a local context to this inquiry.