Bumblebees Display Facial Expressions Suggesting Inner Life and Emotions

Bumblebees exhibit distinct facial expressions in response to taste — 'lip-smacking' for sweet, and head-shaking for bitter — suggesting a form of emotional experience, according to a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Source: ABC.es Source: Infobae

What the study found

• Researchers used high-speed video to capture bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) from 18 colonies while feeding. Source: ABC.es
• When given sugar water, the insects repeatedly extended their proboscis (glossa) after swallowing, akin to lip-smacking. Higher sugar concentrations triggered longer, more frequent extensions. Source: ABC.es
• When tasting bitter quinoline or salty water, bumblebees shook their heads and cleaned their mouthparts with their forelegs, a sign of aversion. Source: Infobae
• Pharmacological experiments showed these orofacial reactions are mediated by affect-related pathways, not mere feeding reflexes. Source: Infobae

Nuances and implications

One nuance: bumblebees exposed to heat also showed glossa protrusions after pure water or salty water, indicating the behavior is not exclusive to sweet taste. Source: Infobae This challenges the idea that protrusions solely signal pleasure. Lead author Andrew Barron noted, "Siempre ha existido una tensión entre pensar en los insectos como animales o como una especie de mini robots. Este es un paso más para demostrar que las abejas tienen una vida interior." Source: ABC.es The findings have implications for understanding insect consciousness and may change how we treat them. Source: Infobae