Coordinated Turning Behaviour of Loitering Honeybees

Turning during flight is a complex behaviour that requires coordination to ensure that the resulting centrifugal force is never large enough to disrupt the intended turning trajectory. The centrifugal force during a turn increases with the curvature (sharpness) of the turn, as well as the speed of flight. Consequently, sharp turns would require lower flight speeds, in order to limit the centrifugal force to a manageable level and prevent unwanted sideslips. We have video-filmed honeybees flying near a hive entrance when the entrance is temporarily blocked. A 3D reconstruction and analysis of the flight trajectories executed during this loitering behaviour reveals that sharper turns are indeed executed at lower speeds. During a turn, the flight speed is matched to the curvature, moment to moment, in such a way as to maintain the centrifugal force at an approximately constant, low level of about 30% of the body weight, irrespective of the instantaneous speed or curvature of the turn. This ensures that turns are well coordinated, with few or no sideslips - as it is evident from analysis of other properties of the flight trajectories.