Honey bees learn to count: researchers

ABC.com.au ^ | Oct 26, 2008 | staff reporter

[Daffynition]

An Australian and a Swedish researcher say they have proved honey bees are more intelligent than previously thought.

Professor Mandyam Srinivasan from Queensland University and Dr Marie Dacke trained honey bees to count by placing food at different markers.

Professor Srinivasan says he has also found bees can learn colours and smells and be trained to fly through complicated mazes.

"The more we look at these creatures that have a brain the size of a sesame seed, the more astonished we are," he said.

"They really have a lot of the capacities that we so-called higher human beings possess."

The scientists also say they have proved honey bees can count to four.

The put five markers inside a tunnel and placed nectar at one of them.

When honey bees were put in the tunnel, they flew to the marker with the food.

Professor Srinivasan says when the experiment was repeated without nectar the bees still flew to the marker that had contained the food.

"We find that if you train them to the third stripe, they will look subsequently in the third stripe," he said.

'If you train them to the fourth stripe, they will look in the fourth stripe and so on.

"But their ability to count seems to go only up to four. They can't count beyond four."

[Apple Pan Dowdy]

Goonch,
In your photo on post 17.... that looks like a bumble bee, NOT a honeybee. LOL

[Apple Pan Dowdy]

Vaduz,
In reality it is ONLY the female bees (called worker bees) that are productive........ contrary to what you saw in the recent silly bee movie.

[Goonch]

“Cheeburger Cheeburger Pepsi-Pepsi! No Coke!”

[editor-surveyor]

The thorax of a bumblebee is always black.

[mrsmith]

""But their ability to count seems to go only up to four. They can't count beyond four.""

Hmmmm. May be that's what they want you to think...

[Daffynition]

Honeeey I’m home!

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[Daffynition]

Poor olde Hamlet didn't know how many flying insects had stung him. That's why he said, "Two bees or not two bees."

[Daffynition]

I love this! Thanks for posting it. In the scheme of things we know so little about the critters that surround us.

Look at this snail maze, e.g., I mean really ...

[Goonch]

[Goonch]

""They really have a lot of the capacities that we so-called higher human beings possess."

And some we don't

[Goonch]

[Goonch]

B Cup - tee hee

[Daffynition]

I'm prepared ...

[Daffynition]

I happen to be enthralled with hummingbirds ... and they have unique communication skills as well. We really know so little. It is humbling.

[Daffynition]

So I hear ... from the queen of the spelling bee ....

[Daffynition]

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

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[Goonch]

[Goonch]