Sunday, 30 October 2022

Keep on Rolling!

A study in Animal Behaviour, describes bumblebees rolling small wooden balls, for 'no apparent reward' (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/oct/27/bumblebees-playing-wooden-balls-bees-study). Younger bumblebees rolled more than older subjects. Males rolled for longer than did females. The authors suggest that this activity might be a form of play behaviour. This seems, however, a quantum leap. Just because there is no apparent reward, doesn't mean that there isn't one, as yet unidentified. It could be the case that the bees are simply fixated on moving small objects in relation to nests. It's also difficult to work out how such 'play', could benefit the bee's older self and the colony.
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