Bumblebees can solve problems without training, latest study finds

3 min readJun 8, 2026 01:56 PM IST

Buff-tailed bumblebees are spontaneous thinkers who can adequately use their problem-solving cognitive skills to devise a strategy to reach a sugar source reward without being trained to do so. (Source: Magnific)

In a discovery on June 4, scientists have uncovered that bumblebees have a skill set far from human imagination. Buff-tailed bumblebees are spontaneous thinkers that can adequately use their problem-solving cognitive skills to devise a strategy to reach a sugar-source reward without being trained to do so.

Despite having tiny brains, insects have shown growing evidence of intellectual capacity. Research has developed deep insights into the emotional experiences of bees and their ability to learn complex social behaviours. The latest discovery went a step further and demonstrated how bees can devise novel strategies on their own.

“Spontaneous problem-solving is something that has never been shown in any invertebrate before,” says Olli Loukola, a behavioural ecologist at the University of Oulu in Finland, highlighting the findings of the recent research study.

The experiment was conducted in a controlled setup. The Research was conducted on invertebrates that had no prior experience with problem-solving skills. Two necessary associations were introduced in a plexiglass arena: balls as movable objects and a blue ring (flower) signalling a food source. The bees were placed inside the enclosed arena, too compact for flight. The flower was positioned on the ceiling, deliberately out of reach. Fascinatingly, 70% of the bumblebees identified the food source. The ball was used as a guiding mechanism to claim their prize.

To eliminate the possibility of random exploration, researchers added two rooms inside the enclosure- a “flower” was hidden in one of the rooms. The task was to find the flower, remember its location and retrieve the ball while using it purposefully.

The researchers were fascinated by the invertebrates’ ability to locate the food source without having any prior experience in problem-solving tasks.

“There was not much room for trial and error or playfulness” in arenas with barriers. They had a goal in their mind, and they were able to understand the nature of the task,” behavioural ecologist Akshaye Bhambore quoted.

Story continues below this ad

This ability was a stark contrast when compared to chimpanzees and parrots, on whom tests were conducted repeatedly, and therefore displayed the cognitive ability of problem-solving.

However, the researchers encountered certain limitations: the arena was an enclosed, tightly packed space within a plexiglass enclosure. This enclosure made it difficult to capture the behavioural signals of the bumblebees. In the future, the team of researchers plans to equip the arena with slow-motion cameras and video analysis to identify grooming behaviours which could signal the bumblebees’ “ëureka” movement and what it actually looks like.

(This article has been curated by Salonee Kulkarni, who is an intern with The Indian Express)