We know that computers can be joined together to work as distributed processors. This way the system can do far more than a single computer can do. Insects apparently behave in a similar fashion. Their bodies are too small to house enough computing power (neurons) to be fully functional for the organism.

 

Look at a swarm of ants. They constantly touch antenna. Chemical signals go from one ant to another. This way they are acting as one large brain. Each ant is then not an individual, but part of a single system.