Honeybee Cognition as a Tool for Scientific Engagement.

Jai A Denton,Michele Thompson,Jarosław Bryk,Mariana Velasque,Ivan Koludarov

doi:10.3390/insects12090842

Abstract

Simple SummaryGlobal scientific literacy can be improved through widespread and effective community engagement by researchers. We propose honeybees (Apis mellifera) as a public engagement tool due to widespread awareness of colony collapse and the bees’ importance in food production. Moreover, their cognitive abilities make for engaging experiments. Their relative ease of cultivation means that studies can be performed cost-effectively, especially when partnering with local apiarists. Using a proxy for honeybee learning, a group of non-specialist high-school-aged participants obtained data suggesting that caffeine, but not dopamine, improved learning. This hands-on experience facilitated student understanding of the scientific method, factors that shape learning and the importance of learning for colony health.Apis mellifera (honeybees) are a well-established model for the study of learning and cognition. A robust conditioning protocol, the olfactory conditioning of the proboscis extension response (PER), provides a powerful but straightforward method to examine the impact of varying stimuli on learning performance. Herein, we provide a protocol that leverages PER for classroom-based community or student engagement. Specifically, we detail how a class of high school students, as part of the Ryukyu Girls Outreach Program, examined the effects of caffeine and dopamine on learning performance in honeybees. Using a modified version of the PER conditioning protocol, they demonstrated that caffeine, but not dopamine, significantly reduced the number of trials required for a successful conditioning response. In addition to providing an engaging and educational scientific activity, it could be employed, with careful oversight, to garner considerable reliable data examining the effects of varying stimuli on honeybee learning.

Highlights

We currently face an unprecedented combination of events, ranging from pandemics and a climate emergency to desertification of arable lands and rapid decline in biodiversity, challenges whose understanding and overcoming demands broad scientific expertise
Data Reliability, Collation and Analysis A total of twelve student groups performed each experiment in triplicate
Emerged bees have softer cuticles than adults [43], and improper handling during harnessing and training could be partially responsible for the high mortality

Summary

Introduction

We currently face an unprecedented combination of events, ranging from pandemics and a climate emergency to desertification of arable lands and rapid decline in biodiversity, challenges whose understanding and overcoming demands broad scientific expertise. It is imperative that communities understand the scientific method, and engage with it [1,2,3]. A key approach to drive this engagement is through citizen science activities. There is not a single concise definition of citizen science, it can typically be thought of as involving non-scientists in the scientific process. Many of the most significant programs either engage with community members already scientifically literate or are much more goal-focused and do not necessarily improve understanding of the scientific method [4,5,6]. Effective community engagement and citizen science need to include both tentpole and smaller activities with community members that are underrepresented in the scientific process

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