Is it just me or do we not regularly talk about bee cognition with as much awe as we should? In case you missed it this week, a new study from Lars Chittka and team shows how a certain bumble bee (our old friend, Bombus terrestris audax) appears to perform well at a concept-based visual discrimination task (finding the shape that’s “larger than” or “small than” the others being presented) while also switching strategies part way through the testing series. Specifically, the buff-tails in the experiment appeared to switch from initially using a more cognitively complex strategy to find the right answer and get rewarded, to a simpler, more efficient strategy to achieve the same outcome. The details of the experiment are a tad wonky but well worth the read.
I really enjoy The Bee Report. I have shared it with my son and family in Finland. Thy, too, enjoy the information and visuals. Thanks! Colleen Brackett
I really enjoy The Bee Report. I have shared it with my son and family in Finland. Thy, too, enjoy the information and visuals. Thanks! Colleen Brackett