What equation drives the pheromone field?

A 2D diffusion-advection-decay equation, ∂C/∂t = D∇²C − kC + S, solved on a grid every frame with an explicit finite-difference scheme. D (diffusivity) is set by the airflow/fanning slider, k (decay rate) is fixed per pheromone type, and S is the emission strength injected at the source cell.

Why do worker bees move toward or away from the source?

Each bee samples the local concentration gradient of the field by finite difference and steers along it — up-gradient (toward the source) for queen, brood and Nasonov signals, and down-gradient (away from the source) for the alarm pheromone, which also raises their jitter/speed.

How does this differ from the 3D version?

The 3D hive cutaway visualises the same four pheromones as an animated particle plume; this 2D companion instead solves a real numerical diffusion field on a grid, so the concentration values shown in the live readout (peak and mean) are the actual solution of the PDE rather than a stylised particle effect.

Home▸Entomology & Insect Behaviour▸Pheromone Diffusion in a Honey Bee Hive (2D)

Pheromone Diffusion in a Honey Bee Hive (2D)

Top-down 2D hive lab: queen, brood, alarm and Nasonov pheromones spread through a real diffusion-advection-decay field, steering hundreds of worker bees toward or away from the source.

Entomology & Insect Behaviour2DModerate60 FPS📱 Mobile-adapted⇄ 3D version

This 2D companion trades the 3D hive's animated particle plume for a real numerical field: each of the four bee pheromones — queen mandibular, brood, alarm and Nasonov — is the solution of a 2D diffusion-advection-decay equation (∂C/∂t = D∇²C − kC + S) solved with an explicit finite-difference scheme every frame, with a directional drift term added only for Nasonov to model fanning bees pushing scent out through the entrance. Worker bees don't follow a script — each one samples the local concentration gradient of that field and steers up it toward the source for queen, brood and Nasonov signals, or down it, away from danger, for the alarm pheromone, while a live readout tracks the field's peak and mean concentration, how many bees are currently responding, and how many foragers have been recruited home.

⚙ Under the hood

2D pheromone-diffusion lab solving a real diffusion-advection-decay PDE on a grid, with worker bees that steer along the sampled concentration gradient rather than scripted paths.

bee pheromonesdiffusion equationqueen pheromonealarm pheromonenasonovchemical ecology

2D · HTML5 Canvas 2D · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install