You can find the @SmithBeeLab at BlueSky!.@smithbeelab.bsky.social. (I won't be checking this account for the foreseeable future, sorry!).

RT @NSF: Symmetry is vital to bees & their hives reflect it. 🐝 . #NSFfunded researchers discovered that bees build their hives in mirroring….

RT @AztecaCecropia: New pub! Honeybee nests are super symmetrical, the pattern of cell contents is mirrored on either side of the comb. Thi….

ps. Yes, there is at least one @taylorswift13 easter egg in the manuscript. I mean, obvi.

As for symmetry, well, it looks like we ALSO find it in the extended phenotype of the superorganism, and it has a functional benefit. And it’s been sitting right in front of us for so long! Once again, you can observe a lot just by watching.

So, what did we learn? Well, first off, this wouldn’t have been possible without a rocking lab team, funding from the @NSF, and exceptional collaborators. Huge thanks to all for making this happen. (it's an old lab photo, but lots of important peeps are in there!)

Would we find this symmetry in other Apis species? It was a long-shot, but we got in touch with Bajaree Chuttong from Thailand, to see if she had nest images of other Apis species (both sides). With @EricaMaul, we transcribed these nests, and holy moly, they’re symmetrical too!

But does this symmetry actually exist in a 3-dimensional nest? @prathibha897 and @ben_koger to the rescue! .We let colonies build 3D nests in empty boxes, and compared both sides of each comb - each one is only symmetrical with its backside (not within or across colonies).

So, does this actually matter to a colony? YES, it does! If you “fold” a one-sided nest onto itself, creating a two-sided nest, then colonies produce more brood, AND have a more stable temperature profile (temp is super important for developing brood; Ethan is our temp guru).

And it’s a bullseye – the colonies exactly position their brood nest with the higher temperature. 100% of the capped brood was colocalized with the heatpad (yes, we also tested this statistically, obvi).

So, how exactly are the bees inferring the nest contents across an impermeable barrier? Maybe it’s temperature cues? (bees keep their brood nice and toasty). We randomly placed heatpads to see if that would bias where nests were located.

YES, THEY ARE SYMMETRICAL! .The two sides of comb are as symmetrical when you have two independent colonies (without contact) or a single colony with access to both sides. Shout-out to “team photo” led by @AztecaCecropia, and “team gross” led by… me.

…but… do the bees need to be in direct contact with both sides of the comb? .Introducing the weirdest observation hive ever: one colony goes on one side, and a totally independent colony on the other. Will they continue to build symmetrical nests?

Surprise! Whatever is on one side of the comb, is a mirror image of the opposite side! .Here’s an example, where the colors denote different nest contents. Roberto Molinari, statistician @AuburnU, made sure we weren’t totally insane.

Honeycomb is double-sided, and this is typically attributed to wax savings. But what about the contents on either side of the comb? .Along with @AztecaCecropia, Maritza, and @csbailey128, we tracked nest contents throughout development.

Symmetry is everywhere. We find it aesthetically pleasing, and it’s important for locomotion (see planes, trains, and automobiles). But… would we find it a structure built by the collective? (see awesome nest photo by @AztecaCecropia)

Thrilled to see our new @SmithBeeLab paper out in @CurrentBiology!. Buckle up, this one’s a wild dive into the world of architectural symmetry….

RT @AztecaCecropia: Contrary to this poll (and even most of us in the @SmithBeeLab), turns out most colonies prefer to initiate their nest….

RT @IUSSI_NAS: Help students attend the 2026 IUSSI conference in Freiburg, Germany! 🐝 Our goal is to support at least 4 students. Let's rai….

RT @AztecaCecropia: Where would honeybees prefer to initiate their nest after they move into a large cavity? A really large cavity, let's s….