Varied Learning Rates Among Bees

Fast learning bumblebees reap greater nectar rewards tells of the importance of learning rates among bees. Bees which are faster learners have greater ability to collect more nectar from flowers. In tests involving a dozen bee colonies blue and yellow artificial flowers were packed with different levels of nectar. The yellow flowers were provided more nectar to test the ability of bees to overcome their natural predisposition toward blue flowers. Surprisingly there was as much as a five fold difference in learning speeds among the colonies.

Bees are able to sense other cues besides color. They include patterns and scents. Results of the study are published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society