Bee behaviour and cognition group

Our research group focuses on exploring social learning and cognition in bumblebees to understand the mechanisms behind individual differences in learning and memory. Through experimental studies, we investigate complex capabilities such as tool use, social learning, and physical reasoning, previously thought to be limited to higher vertebrates. Our research examines cognition at both the individual and social levels, including novel cooperative tasks between individuals. Additionally, we explore the ecological and evolutionary implications of cognition. Our group has also investigated the effects of pesticide on bumblebee learning and memory-retention capacity, highlighting the requirement for regulation of pesticide use which has been linked to pollinator declines. In the future, we aim to explore the proximate mechanisms underlying complex behaviours, by examining neuroanatomical and behavioural insights via imaging, pose tracking and machine learning, among others.