Bumblebees amaze scientists as they learn to solve puzzles by watching their peers. A new study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that bumblebees not only learn to solve puzzles by watching other bees but also teach others when to open a puzzle box to access a sugary reward.

Researchers from the Queen Mary University of London and Macquarie University in Sydney conducted the study by creating a test that required bumblebees to solve a puzzle in order to gain access to a sugary reward. They then showed the bees how to solve the puzzle using a blue disc, which they were trained to associate with the reward. The researchers found that the bees were able to watch and learn from their peers.

To test this, the researchers then paired bumblebees in two groups, one that watched a trained bee solve the puzzle and another that learned by trial and error. They found that the bees trained by watching were quicker to solve the puzzle and easier to teach the steps to others.

The study sheds new light on the cognitive abilities of bees and their ability to learn and pass on information. Lead author Olli Loukola from Queen Mary University of London said, “This is the first evidence of a learning phenomenon called ‘teaching by anticipation’ in an animal other than humans.”

The study has widespread implications for the understanding of animal learning and could pave the way for further study of the cognitive abilities of bumblebees and other insects.