Infographic: Quick Learners

Honeybees can remember reward-associated odors three days after a single learning experience.

Ruth Williams

May 1, 2020

Forager honeybees are exposed once to an odor while simultaneously receiving sucrose via a cocktail stick. The insects extend their proboscises to drink the sugary treat (1). At 1 hour, 4 hours, 24 hours, or 72 hours after this experience, the bees are exposed to the same odor or to a control odor. At times up to 24 hours, most bees correctly extend their proboscises in response to the paired odor (2) and not the control one (3). Even at 72 hours, approximately one-third of the trained bees do the same.