Analysis of BEECLUST swarm algorithm

Abstract

We analyze a new swarm search algorithm based on the behavior of social insects, specifically honey bees. The new algorithm does not require any agent-agent communication and does not require the agents to know position information. The agents, or bots, cluster together near peaks in the search space based on the fitness value at the locations where the agents collide. In this paper we describe the algorithm, model the algorithm using a birth and death Markov chain, and determine the expected time for the agents/bots to cluster. We also determine the swarm size needed to complete a search in a reasonable time frame.