Bees surprise scientists with unexpected mental abilities
A new scientific study has revealed that bumblebees are capable of using tools to solve relatively complex problems, in a discovery that adds the insects to a limited list of creatures known to possess unusually flexible thinking and problem-solving abilities. The study, published in the journal Science, showed that bees successfully passed a modified version of a famous experiment known about a century ago as the "box and banana problem," which was used at the time to demonstrate the chimpanzee's ability to devise solutions to access food.
An unprecedented experience
During the experiment, the researchers trained a group of bees to associate an artificial blue flower with a reward of sugar-sweetened water. The flower was then moved to the ceiling of a transparent chamber, out of the bees' reach. To reach it, the bees had to push a small polystyrene ball to the correct location below the flower and then climb over it to reach the reward—a sequence of behaviors they had not previously rehearsed. The results showed that 75% of the bees successfully solved the problem in the basic version of the test. In this context, Dr. Olli Lokola, a researcher in animal behavior at the University of Oulu in Finland and supervisor of the study, said that this experiment represents the insect version of the classic “box and banana” test, explaining that the result lies in the bees’ realization that they can move an object and use it as a tool to reach a goal that is not directly available.
A more complex test
To ensure that the success was not merely a fluke, the scientists designed a more complex version of the experiment. After allowing the bees to see the location of the flower, they turned off the visual cues that enabled them to see it directly, and had to remember its location and then move the ball to the correct spot relying solely on their memory. While 23 out of 30 bees succeeded in completing the task, researchers considered this further evidence that bees possess more complex cognitive abilities than previously thought.
Small brains, big abilities
The researchers stressed that they do not claim that bees think in the same way as humans, but the results indicate that very small brains can produce flexible solutions to new problems. Professor Lars Chittka, an insect behavior specialist at Queen Mary University of London and author of "The Brain of the Bee," said that these findings represent the clearest evidence yet that bees possess some kind of understanding of the nature of the problem they face. He added that the prevailing belief always links intelligence to brain size, but bees provide a striking example of how much intelligence can be provided by extremely small nervous systems. These findings join a series of previous studies that have shown that bees are capable of counting, learning, recognizing patterns, and manipulating objects in complex ways, reinforcing the growing scientific view that insects possess cognitive abilities far exceeding what was previously thought.
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