And how do scientists go about answering that question?

Like in humans, the neurotransmitter appears to play a role in generating wanting-like behavior and, perhaps, happy memories in honeybees.

An analysis of museum data and naturalists' observations finds that the number of bee species recorded has been declining since the 1990s. The first global, long-term study of bee trends adds to mounting evidence that the pollinators are in trouble worldwide.

Asian giant hornets were found for the first time in Washington State and could reemerge in the spring.

The genetically modified bacteria spark an RNAi response in the parasite that leads to self-destruction—and perhaps a path to combatting colony collapse disorder.

US honeybee colonies took the largest hit since the Bee Informed Partnership started counting in 2006.

A high school student designs a new beehive and gets help from machine learning to monitor for varroa mite infestation.

Researchers record neurological changes in a region called the mushroom body in the brains of bees completing a maze in a virtual environment.

A bee researcher finds that his subjects are protected from viral infections when they dine on fungus.

Revered as a humanitarian and scientist, Kerr was also blamed for the introduction of aggressive Africanized bees to the Americas.

Glyphosate perturbs the balance of gut bacteria in honey bees and increases the insects’ susceptibility to lethal infection.

A study of chemical tags on histone proteins hints at how the same genome can yield very different animals.

The insects correctly ordered an absence of black dots as “less than” a group of black dots.

The pesticides, which studies show are harmful to bees, will be prohibited in open fields by the end of 2018.

One species has developed a novel waggle to warn about invading wasps.

Japanese honeybees (Apis cerana japonica) respond to an attack by a Vespa mandarinia wasp.

Scientists identify floral temperature patterns as a sensory cue that may help bees identify flower species. 

Important pollinators under threat from habitat destruction, bumblebees may find refuge on vacant land throughout Michigan’s largest metropolis.

See the urban landscapes in Detroit where researchers are studying the fates of pollinators that adopt a metropolitan lifestyle.