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Aging bees may experience memory lapses like humans do, new research has found. (Miguel Villagran/Getty Images)
Aging bees, just like humans, are increasingly likely to have their memories fade as getting older takes its toll on brain functions, new research suggests.
The study was led by scientists from Arizona State University (ASU) and the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, and published in the journal Public Library of Science ONE. The team found that mature bees did worse than younger bees at learning the location of a new nest box.
Bees, especially honey bees, can usually navigate well, using their sense of smell to visit flowers that are far from their colonies and to find their way back home.
In the experiment, scientists closed an old nest box for a group of mixed-age bees, opened a new home for the bees, and taught them the new location.
"From previous studies, we knew that old bees are characterized by poor learning when trained to floral odors in the laboratory," Gro Amdam, an associate professor in the School of Life Sciences at ASU, said in a statement. "So, we wanted to test whether aging also affects learning behavior that is important for a bee's survival in the wild."
Older bees were found to be more likely to return to the old nest, even though it was closed off.
While the scientists found that brain function diminished in older bees in general, some mature bees maintained their sharp perception.
"Although many old bees fail in learning tasks, we also discovered that a few still perform with excellence," Daniel Münch, a Norwegian senior life sciences researcher and lead author, said in a statement.
