‘They surprise me every time’: bees can use tools to solve problems, study finds

A recent study found that bumblebees possess surprisingly advanced cognitive abilities, demonstrating their capacity to use tools to solve problems. In an adapted version of the 'box-and-banana' experiment, originally designed to test chimpanzee intelligence 100 years ago, bees successfully retrieved an out-of-reach reward. This discovery places bumblebees among an elite group of species, including various primates, elephants, and crows, known for their spontaneous problem-solving skills and insight. The findings are significant as they expand our understanding of insect intelligence and challenge previous assumptions about the cognitive limits of invertebrates, highlighting the sophisticated nature of bee cognition.