Bees identify their emotions and feel pain, study suggests

A study led by scientists at Queen Mary University of London suggests that bees have sensitivity. the ability to consciously have sensations and feelings. What was previously thought was that insects react inflexibly to noxious stimuli, i.e., avoiding them without evaluating the context.

But the new study, published Tuesday, July 26 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciencesfound that bees can use learned color cues to make decisions. In addition, they also use contextual information to change their nociceptive behavior, which means: responds differently to pain of varying intensity.

While previous research has shown bees and bumblebees to be optimistic or depressed, the current study investigated whether these emotional states include pain.

How was the behavior of bees evaluated?

The team, led by Lars Chittka, one of today’s most renowned insect behavior researchers, yielded 41 bees (world bombs) Choice between two feeders with 40% sugar solution and two other feeders with less sucrose. The feeders were placed on individual pink or yellow heating pads.

With the pads closed, the insects preferred the sweeter feeders, but when the scientists warmed the yellow pads to 55°C (an uncomfortable but non-threatening temperature), the bees preferred to continue feeding on these warmer (and sugarier) mangers rather than the pink pillows..

When all four nutrients contained high-sugar solutions, the bees avoided the yellow ones, demonstrating the presence of associative memory. For philosopher and animal sensibility expert Jonathan Birch, the study is “the first direct evidence of arthropods. [insetos e aranhas] – can mediate win-lose experiencesHe described it as “intellectually fascinating”.

ARTICLE – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences – DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2205821119.