The mathematical modelling of honey bee colony dynamics: the major regulatory mechanisms

      The recent rapid decline in the global honey bee population is devastating for food security, agriculture and the economy. Theoretical models can provide a new perspective to a difficult problem, where still little is known about the cause of losses. The mathematical model presents a new approach to understanding the major regulatory mechanisms of honey bee colonies. The initial framework of the model considers multiple distinct populations (castes) of bees in a compartmental setting, and the flows between these. The assumptions will be validated against empirical evidence to form a more complex model, and some simulations will be discussed.