Research Suggests Bees Have Emotions and Can Suffer from PTSD

Seems it's time to add Bees to the growing list of sentient creatures

Hiya!

The idea that some animals, such as whales and elephants, should be considered sentient is just barely becoming accepted in Western societies. Generally speaking, we humans lean on the belief that sentience sets our species apart from the rest, and acknowledging that other animals have emotions or feel pain would disrupt our way of life.

Yet, science doesn’t care about our beliefs or making things convenient for us. And scientific studies suggest it’s not just larger animals that are likely sentient, but the tiny ones too, like bees. Research indicates that bees learn while they sleep, have emotions and feelings, and may even suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Squashing Past Assumptions

Pollination ecologist Stephen Buchmann, who has studied bees for over 40 years, published a book titled, What a Bee Knows: Exploring the Thoughts, Memories, and Personalities of Bees. It reimagines the psychology and behavior of bees based on Buchmann’s research and dozens of other studies.

In the book, he argues that bees can demonstrate an array of complex behavior resembling human-like emotions. Based on Buchmann’s research and more, some scientists suggest that bees are likely sentient. In his book, Buchmann writes:

“Bees are self-aware, they’re sentient, and they possibly have a primitive form of consciousness. They solve problems and can think. Bees may even have a primitive form of subjective experiences.”

Such a statement is difficult for some people to swallow, especially since a bee’s brain is about the size of a poppy seed, and we usually only associate intelligence with larger brains. Insects were long thought to basically be robots functioning purely off instinct and incapable of feeling pain or suffering. Not to mention larger brains have been much easier to study than teeny tiny insect ones, but technology advancements have made it significantly easier.

Recent research has begun to turn our past assumptions on their heads. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that bees are far more complex than we ever conceived.