Until now, we thought that only humans were able to transfer what one individual learned during a task, for example, to another individual in a language or with the help of communication, so that the new individual could complete the journey into the light. From previous knowledge. We were so wrong. Even bumblebees can do it!
the According to iflscience.com article The acquisition of cumulative knowledge through shared culture has hitherto been very humanizing. But new research has shown that there is also an animal among invertebrates, the bumblebee, that is capable of doing something similar, although it may not be conscious.
If you send bees to get a reward from the box and have to overcome obstacles in the process, they will be able to transfer this knowledge to other members of the hive, that is, train them for this task. This means that these insects have an unprecedented social learning ability.
Of course, the experimental task was invented by humans and they also taught the first group of bees how to get their reward. The point is that they had to move two objects one after the other to get to it. This is interesting because you can usually make the animal perform a task if it is rewarded immediately. If not, your job will be more difficult. But bees solve that too.
The bees told the secret to their inexperienced companions
Bees that were not trained by humans could not perform the task. On the other hand, those who were treated were able to complete it in two days. 15 of these individuals were trained. They were “indicator bees.” They were then paired with “monitor bees,” none of whom received any prior training.
Five of the fifteen observers were able to get their reward in the end. We congratulate them here too!
Scientists have never seen such an ability in invertebrates, with which they can show their peers how to solve something. Therefore, the current research raises many questions. For example, if bees are able to spread knowledge, they may also be able to transmit culture. Here is a video of the experiment conducted by scientists at Queen Mary University of London:
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