Social Interaction Key for Bees to Master Complex Tasks, Study Finds
In a groundbreaking discovery, bumblebees have been shown to possess a previously unseen level of cognitive sophistication.
A new study, published in Nature, reveals that these bees can learn complex, multi-step tasks through social interaction, even if they cannot figure them out on their own. This challenges the long-held belief that such advanced social learning is unique to humans, and hints at the presence of key elements of cumulative culture in these insects.
Led by Dr Alice Bridges, postdoctoral researcher at the University of Sheffield, the research team designed a two-step puzzle box requiring bumblebees to perform two distinct actions in sequence to access a sweet reward at the end. The temporary reward was eventually taken away, and bees subsequently had to open the whole box before getting the treat.
While individual bees struggled to solve the puzzle when starting from scratch, those allowed to observe a trained “demonstrator” bee readily learned the entire sequence – even the first step – while only getting a reward at the end.
The study, carried out at Queen Mary University of London, demonstrated that bumblebees possess a level of social learning previously thought to be exclusive to humans. They can share and acquire behaviours that are beyond their individual cognitive capabilities.
Dr Alice Bridges, from the University of Sheffield’s School of Biosciences, said: “This is an extremely difficult task for bees. They had to learn two steps to get the reward, with the first behaviour in the sequence being unrewarded. We initially needed to train demonstrator bees with a temporary reward included there, highlighting the complexity. Yet, other bees learned the whole sequence from social observation of these trained bees, even without ever experiencing the first step’s reward. But when we let other bees attempt to open the box without a trained bee to demonstrate the solution, they didn’t manage to open any at all.”
The research opens new avenues for understanding animal intelligence and the evolution of social learning in the animal kingdom. The bees’ ability to learn such a complex task from a demonstrator suggests a potential pathway for cultural transmission and innovation beyond their individual learning capabilities.