Can Bumble Bees Estimate Time?

Bumble bees can estimate time intervals is a Biology News Net article. The article notes that humans and other vertebrates are known to have the ability to estimate time short time intervals with greater sophistication than their invertebrate counterparts. But a paper published in Current Biology and authored by Michael Boisvert and David Sherry shows that the bumble bee has time interval estimation abilities. Estimating time durations is linked to the need that bees and other insects have to make decisions. Floral nectar, which is cyclical with respect to renewal and depletion, is the object of attention of insect pollinators like bees. Estimating time intervals may be required to communicate and navigate accurately.