Bees string experiment: scientists prove bumblebees can learn and share tool-use skills - TomoNews

LONDON — Researchers at Queen Mary University of London studying bumble bees have observed that the insects were able to share knowledge regarding the use of tools. The publication Science reported that in a series of experiments, scientists placed three sugar-filled artificial flowers underneath a glass table, each tied to a string. Of 110 bees that were put through the test, two managed to use the string as a rope to pull the flower out to get to the sugar. In another test, untrained bees were placed behind a transparent wall, as they watched another bee retrieve the sugar. When put through the same conditions, 60% of the untrained bees were able to successfully navigate the experiment. Even after the trained bees had died, the learned skills remained in the colony. This research demonstrates that bee colonies may have more advanced culture than previously understood, with the ability to pass on knowledge seen as a complex phenomena of social groups.