Research Projects

Honey bee Foraging

Honey bees live in large colonies and use their famous waggle dance to communicate about the location of food. How does this foraging strategy help them succeed in their environments?

Platform with five towers, each supporting two ant nests, connected by bridges.

Ant Transport Networks

Many ant species live in multiple nests per colony, frequently transporting resources between nests. How do structural constraints in the environment shape their strategies for constructing such networks?

Turtle ant defense

Turtle ants, in the genus Cephalotes, have a remarkable caste of soldier ants whose heads are specially shaped for defending nest entrances. How do colonies allocate soldiers among different nests, depending on quality, defensibility, and risk?

Overhead image of purple-flowered plants

Bee Forage Mapping

Honey bees can travel many kilometers from the hive in search of flowers. Can we use overhead drone images to describe the floral landscape on a scale relevant to foraging bees?