Take a decision like moving house. When bees want to move their hive, they swarm. When other bees notice a swarm starting, they have to make a decision to swarm or not to swarm too. If enough bees to set up a new colony swarm, they’ll pack up and move and set up a new hive. But if they don’t reach critical mass (or if humans intervene and keep the queen at home) they won’t be able to make a new hive, so they stop swarming. In this way, the biggest decision a beehive typically faces looks an awful lot like a political rally in a democracy.