A New Single-Parameter Bees Algorithm

Based on bee foraging behaviour, the Bees Algorithm (BA) is an optimisation metaheuristic algorithm which has found many applications in both the continuous and combinatorial domains. The original version of the Bees Algorithm has six user-selected parameters: the number of scout bees, the number of...

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Main Authors: Hamid Furkan Suluova, Duc Truong Pham
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-10-01
Series:Biomimetics
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/9/10/634
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author Hamid Furkan Suluova
Duc Truong Pham
author_facet Hamid Furkan Suluova
Duc Truong Pham
author_sort Hamid Furkan Suluova
collection DOAJ
description Based on bee foraging behaviour, the Bees Algorithm (BA) is an optimisation metaheuristic algorithm which has found many applications in both the continuous and combinatorial domains. The original version of the Bees Algorithm has six user-selected parameters: the number of scout bees, the number of high-performing bees, the number of top-performing or “elite” bees, the number of forager bees following the elite bees, the number of forager bees recruited by the other high-performing bees, and the neighbourhood size. These parameters must be chosen with due care, as their values can impact the algorithm’s performance, particularly when the problem is complex. However, determining the optimum values for those parameters can be time-consuming for users who are not familiar with the algorithm. This paper presents BA<sub>1</sub>, a Bees Algorithm with just one parameter. BA<sub>1</sub> eliminates the need to specify the numbers of high-performing and elite bees and other associated parameters. Instead, it uses incremental k-means clustering to divide the scout bees into groups. By reducing the required number of parameters, BA<sub>1</sub> simplifies the tuning process and increases efficiency. BA<sub>1</sub> has been evaluated on 23 benchmark functions in the continuous domain, followed by 12 problems from the TSPLIB in the combinatorial domain. The results show good performance against popular nature-inspired optimisation algorithms on the problems tested.
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spelling doaj-art-4acde50c2531492ab9c4cf12f95d3dd62025-08-20T02:11:14ZengMDPI AGBiomimetics2313-76732024-10-0191063410.3390/biomimetics9100634A New Single-Parameter Bees AlgorithmHamid Furkan Suluova0Duc Truong Pham1Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UKDepartment of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, UKBased on bee foraging behaviour, the Bees Algorithm (BA) is an optimisation metaheuristic algorithm which has found many applications in both the continuous and combinatorial domains. The original version of the Bees Algorithm has six user-selected parameters: the number of scout bees, the number of high-performing bees, the number of top-performing or “elite” bees, the number of forager bees following the elite bees, the number of forager bees recruited by the other high-performing bees, and the neighbourhood size. These parameters must be chosen with due care, as their values can impact the algorithm’s performance, particularly when the problem is complex. However, determining the optimum values for those parameters can be time-consuming for users who are not familiar with the algorithm. This paper presents BA<sub>1</sub>, a Bees Algorithm with just one parameter. BA<sub>1</sub> eliminates the need to specify the numbers of high-performing and elite bees and other associated parameters. Instead, it uses incremental k-means clustering to divide the scout bees into groups. By reducing the required number of parameters, BA<sub>1</sub> simplifies the tuning process and increases efficiency. BA<sub>1</sub> has been evaluated on 23 benchmark functions in the continuous domain, followed by 12 problems from the TSPLIB in the combinatorial domain. The results show good performance against popular nature-inspired optimisation algorithms on the problems tested.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/9/10/634Bees Algorithmnature-inspired algorithmbee-inspired algorithmmetaheuristicscontinuous optimisationcombinatorial optimisation
spellingShingle Hamid Furkan Suluova
Duc Truong Pham
A New Single-Parameter Bees Algorithm
Biomimetics
Bees Algorithm
nature-inspired algorithm
bee-inspired algorithm
metaheuristics
continuous optimisation
combinatorial optimisation
title A New Single-Parameter Bees Algorithm
title_full A New Single-Parameter Bees Algorithm
title_fullStr A New Single-Parameter Bees Algorithm
title_full_unstemmed A New Single-Parameter Bees Algorithm
title_short A New Single-Parameter Bees Algorithm
title_sort new single parameter bees algorithm
topic Bees Algorithm
nature-inspired algorithm
bee-inspired algorithm
metaheuristics
continuous optimisation
combinatorial optimisation
url https://www.mdpi.com/2313-7673/9/10/634
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AT hamidfurkansuluova newsingleparameterbeesalgorithm
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