The Internet of Things (IoT) paradigm denotes billions of physical entities connected to Internet that allow the collecting and sharing of big amounts of data. Everything may become a component of the IoT thanks to advancements in hardware, software, and wireless network availability. Devices get an advanced level of digital intelligence that enables them to transmit real-time data without applying for human support. However, IoT also comes with its own set of unique challenges. Heavy network traffic is generated in the IoT environment for transmitting data. Reducing network traffic by determining the shortest route from the source to the aim decreases overall system response time and energy consumption costs. This translates into the need to define efficient routing algorithms. Many IoT devices are powered by batteries with limited lifetime, so in order to ensure remote, continuous, distributed, and decentralized control and self-organization of these devices, power-aware techniques are highly desirable. Another requirement is to manage huge amounts of dynamically changing data. This paper reviews a set of swarm intelligence (SI) algorithms applied to the main challenges introduced by the IoT. SI algorithms try to determine the best path for insects by modeling the hunting behavior of the agent community. These algorithms are suitable for IoT needs because of their flexibility, resilience, dissemination degree, and extension.