Not just bumbling along – bees demonstrate ‘impressive’ brain power

Bumblebees can teach each other how to score “goals” with a tiny ball, displaying a learning ability never before seen in insects, a study has shown.

The bees surprised scientists by working out how to use a novel tool to obtain a food reward simply by watching their neighbours.

In the experiment, the bees were placed on a platform and had to roll a ball to a specific location – or “goal” – in order to obtain a sugar solution.

They were given two types of training, either watching a previously trained bee “score”, or being shown the ball that appeared to move on its own with help of an unseen magnet.

Insects that observed the success of other bees were better at learning the task than those given the “ghost” demonstration.

Bees learned from their peers.