Scientists studying bee brains found clues to how colonies coordinate complex behaviour without a central controller, relying instead on many small individual decisions

• Honeybee colonies organise work without any leader assigning tasks, but scientists have now discovered that specific brain circuits help control this process.
• (Representational photo)Honeybee colonies work in an organised way even though no bee tells the others what to do.
• Young bees look after the queen and baby bees, older ones build and guard the hive, and the oldest workers fly out to collect food.