Copy That: Bumblebees Learn to Solve Puzzles by Imitating Peer Behavior

The finding suggests that insects are far smarter than we believe. It is theorized that they can even have emotions like us.

Bumblebees can learn from each other, a new study published in PLOS Biology shows.

Scientists trained one bumblebee to solve puzzle: the insect needed to open a box by rotating a lid clockwise or counterclockwise to access a sugary treat, while the other bumblebees were left watching their peer.

The research team filmed several bumblebee colonies for 6 to 12 days and found out that the colonies with a trained insect opened more boxes than control colonies, using the trained peer technique 98.6 percent of the time. The control colonies were left without trained bumblebee and showed poor performance at performing the same task.

Previously scientists believed that only higher animals can learn.

“Bumblebees – and, indeed, invertebrates in general – aren’t known to show culture-like phenomena in the wild. However, in our experiments, we saw the spread and maintenance of a behavioral trend in groups of bumblebees – similar to what has been seen in primates and birds,” claims lead researcher, Dr. Alice Bridges.

Researchers stress that their finding is a reason to reconsider human attitudes towards bumblebees and admit that they are "far smarter creatures than a lot of people give them credit for."

Scientists believe that bumblebees even possess emotions and can recognize themselves as unique entities distinct from other insects. However, right now it is more of a hunch that needs to be proved.