If the function of the tasks is changed in some way but the average energy used is not then the change in dynamics in the system would not be reflected in the simulation. New parameters added to reflect such task changes would no longer have a natural correspondence to reality. This would quickly lead to a complicated and cumbersome simulation. Traditional Mathematical simulations cannot be used to study the internal mechanisms of a natural system. Simply knowing the overall traffic flow in a computer network cannot help us decide on data package routing strategies.
Traditional simulations describe observed relationships between macro-variables.
If a mathematician is then asked to link together these observations into a mathematical model, the scientist must be able to justify this model against her theory of how the individual entities interact. This model does not describe the actual observations which led to the theory so, even when the mathematician and scientist are the same person, it is hard to verify that the model matches the theories. Problems with traditional simulation methods stem from an inability to relate global and local parameters. While it is possible to create a set of differential equations for each type of bee behaviours, at this point the parameter definitions become unnatural. Differential equations can't be used to explain the complicated interactions between local entities.