Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Inclusive Fitness

Inclusive Fitness

Most altruistic behavior—in which one animal helps another at a cost to themselves—occurs between relatives. Scientists think these altruistic behaviors evolved because they increase the inclusive fitness of the animal providing help.

Altruism

Altruism

Altruistic behaviors are “unselfish” behaviors—those that help another individual at the expense of the individual carrying out the behavior. Despite the negative consequences for the altruistic animal, these behaviors are thought to have evolved for several reasons.

Pollination and Flower Structure

Pollination and Flower Structure

Flowers are the reproductive, seed-producing structures of angiosperms. Typically, flowers consist of sepals, petals, stamens, and carpels. Sepals and petals are the vegetative flower organs. Stamens and carpels are the reproductive organs.

Cognitive Learning

Cognitive Learning

Cognitive learning is based on purposive behavior, incidental learning, and insight learning.
E. C. Tolman's theory of purposive behavior emphasizes that much behavior is goal-directed. He argued that to understand behavior, we must look at the entire sequence of actions leading to a goal. For instance, high school students study hard, not just due to past reinforcement but also to achieve the goal of getting into a good college.
Tolman introduced the idea that behavior is influenced by...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Bumblebee queens are better at olfactory learning and more sensitive to scents than workers.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2026

Same author

Bumblebee queens differ in brain morphology but not learning performance across life stages.

The Journal of experimental biology·2026

Same author

Felicity Muth.

Current biology : CB·2025

Same author

Nectar metabolomes contribute to pollination syndromes.

The New phytologist·2025

Same author

Economic foraging in a floral marketplace: asymmetrically dominated decoy effects in bumblebees.

Proceedings. Biological sciences·2024

Same author

A novel pesticide has lethal consequences for an important pollinator.

The Science of the total environment·2024

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Oct 25, 2025

A Proboscis Extension Response Protocol for Investigating Behavioral Plasticity in Insects: Application to Basic, Biomedical, and Agricultural Research

A Proboscis Extension Response Protocol for Investigating Behavioral Plasticity in Insects: Application to Basic, Biomedical, and Agricultural Research

Published on: September 8, 2014

Intra-specific differences in cognition: bumblebee queens learn better than workers.

Felicity Muth¹

¹Departmnet of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, TX, USA.

Biology Letters

|August 11, 2021

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Bumblebee queens exhibit superior learning abilities compared to workers, demonstrating how ecological roles influence cognitive skills. This research highlights the importance of understanding insect cognition in wild populations.

Keywords:

Bombus insularis Bombus vosnesenskii associative learning bee cuckoo sucrose responsiveness

More Related Videos

Tactile Conditioning And Movement Analysis Of Antennal Sampling Strategies In Honey Bees Apis mellifera L.

Tactile Conditioning And Movement Analysis Of Antennal Sampling Strategies In Honey Bees Apis mellifera L.

Published on: December 12, 2012

Neuropharmacological Manipulation of Restrained and Free-flying Honey Bees, Apis mellifera

Neuropharmacological Manipulation of Restrained and Free-flying Honey Bees, Apis mellifera

Published on: November 26, 2016

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Oct 25, 2025

A Proboscis Extension Response Protocol for Investigating Behavioral Plasticity in Insects: Application to Basic, Biomedical, and Agricultural Research

A Proboscis Extension Response Protocol for Investigating Behavioral Plasticity in Insects: Application to Basic, Biomedical, and Agricultural Research

Published on: September 8, 2014

Tactile Conditioning And Movement Analysis Of Antennal Sampling Strategies In Honey Bees Apis mellifera L.

Tactile Conditioning And Movement Analysis Of Antennal Sampling Strategies In Honey Bees Apis mellifera L.

Published on: December 12, 2012

Neuropharmacological Manipulation of Restrained and Free-flying Honey Bees, Apis mellifera

Neuropharmacological Manipulation of Restrained and Free-flying Honey Bees, Apis mellifera

Published on: November 26, 2016

Area of Science:

Ecology
Animal Behavior
Neuroscience

Background:

Cognitive traits in species are influenced by ecological factors and individual roles within a social structure.
Social insects, with their distinct castes, provide a valuable model for studying the ecological shaping of cognition.
Bumblebee queens play a crucial role in colony survival, necessitating strong learning capabilities for foraging and nesting.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how ecological requirements and social roles affect cognitive abilities in bumblebees.
To compare the learning performance of bumblebee queens and workers.
To explore cognitive differences across different bumblebee species and life cycles.

Main Methods:

Comparative analysis of learning abilities (color association) between queens and workers in wild bumblebee species (Bombus vosnesenskii and B. insularis).
Controlled laboratory experiments with Bombus impatiens to isolate learning differences from foraging experience.
Assessment of learning performance based on species, caste, and ecological role.

Main Results:

Wild bumblebee queens demonstrated significantly better learning capabilities than workers.
Queens of a cuckoo bumblebee species (B. insularis) showed comparable learning performance to non-parasitic queens.
Laboratory-confirmed results showed unmated queens of B. impatiens outperformed workers in learning tasks.

Conclusions:

Ecological demands associated with specific life stages and social roles, particularly for queens, drive the evolution of enhanced cognitive functions.
Cognitive performance in bumblebees is adaptable and reflects the selective pressures of their environment and role within the colony.
This study supports the link between ecology and cognition and encourages further comparative cognitive research in wild bee populations.