Scientists believe that bumblebees have a collective mind: details

Scientists in laboratory conditions taught bumblebees of the Bombus terrestris species to open a box with a two-step puzzle. Then they discovered that the insects could teach their own to solve this task “relatives“who have never seen her before.

In the study, the results of which published in the journal Nature, it is said that the bumblebees were unable to open the box on their own. To achieve this, the researchers had to show them what to do and offer a reward to motivate them. writes Science Alert.

To understand whether such small insects have a collective mind, behavioral scientist Alice Bridges of Queen Mary University of London and her colleagues placed colonies of bumblebees in a two-stage puzzle for 36 or 72 hours over 12 or 24 consecutive days.

Sugar was a sweet reward for insects. It was placed under a plastic cover (yellow circle in the photo). To get there, you need to click on the red tab (provided the blue one is open).

Having spent two days, the insects could not get to the sweet treats. Scientists did not interfere in the process.

The scientists say that the insects first had to be shown how to solve the puzzle. One bumblebee is enough to understand this process and be able to teach it to others.

“The conclusion of the study challenges the popular opinion that only people have a unique ability for social learning, assimilation of information through individual trials and errors.” – note the researchers..

It was once believed that only humans have collective intelligence. But “viral” songs sparrowsevolving dialects and traditions whaleshunting killer whaletricks monkeyscrows and dolphins prove that social behavior also exists in animal communities.

Moreover, it can improve over time. For example, homing pigeons are able to learn from each other and adjust their flight routes from year to year, researchers say.

“Obviously, no animal can assemble an iPhone or read an article on animal intelligence. But at a basic level, bumblebees join chimpanzees in casting serious doubt on this supposed human exceptionalism.

The discovery among bumblebees is more surprising because it focuses not on a primate relative, but on … an animal with a brain that is only 0.0005% the size of a chimpanzee’s brain.” – said Alex Thornton, an ecologist from the University of Exeter (England).

Also, the conducted experiments prove the fact that these insects can learn from each other and solve simple tasks.

We used to toldthat air pollution makes flowers less attractive to pollinating insects.