Colour learning when foraging for nectar and pollen: bees learn two colours at once.

Felicity Muth, Daniel R Papaj, Anne S Leonard

September 2015

Synopsis of Social media discussions

The discussions demonstrate high interest through enthusiastic comments about bees playing and learning, with references to educational videos and observations, while the tone is playful and curious, reflecting both fascination and appreciation for the scientific insights into bee cognition and behavior.

A
Agreement
 Moderate agreement

Most discussants agree that the research reveals fascinating aspects of bee intelligence and behavior, emphasizing the significance of the study.

I
Interest
 High level of interest

The discussions show high interest, with many referencing the educational value and multiple examples of bee learning behaviors.

E
Engagement
 High engagement

Participants actively share videos, educational insights, and personal thoughts, indicating deep engagement with the topic.

I
Impact
 Moderate level of impact

There is recognition of the research's importance for understanding pollination and bee cognition, but some focus more on entertainment than scientific implications.

Social Mentions

YouTube

2 Videos

Bluesky

18 Posts

Twitter

3 Posts

Blogs

2 Articles

News

2 Articles

Metrics

Video Views

2,454,108

Total Likes

105,236

Extended Reach

2,467,151

Social Features

27

Timeline: Posts about article

Top Social Media Posts

Posts referencing the article

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834 views

  • ❄️Winterlady❄️
    @winterlady1.bsky.social (Bluesky)

    Heee… bee educated! ZeFrank on bees and how they learn and share info with other bees. The balls bit is true! youtu.be/M6hGjh9SJ_M?...
    view full post

    October 11, 2025

    6

    1

  • Genie Lauren
    @moreandagain.social (Bluesky)

    I thought I loved bees before but I just found out that bees love playing with balls and they're really smart
    view full post

    September 27, 2025

    9

    1

  • Jax Wolff Writes
    @jaxwolffwrites.bsky.social (Bluesky)

    31a. There have absolutely been studies involving teaching bees to solve puzzles and having those bees teach other bees. 31b. I am absolutely including a video about this. youtu.be/M6hGjh9SJ_M?...
    view full post

    July 20, 2025

    2

    1


  • @pleah.bsky.social (Bluesky)

    youtu.be/M6hGjh9SJ_M?...
    view full post

    May 25, 2025

  • Mimihasatoothache
    @mhasatoothache.bsky.social (Bluesky)

    Seeing how some people in the comments are questioning if these companies are actually playing or or just panicking I feel like this video will help go into a bit more in depth of the science behind bumblebees at play youtu.be/M6hGjh9SJ_M?...
    view full post

    May 4, 2025

    7

    1


  • @nncyruth.bsky.social (Bluesky)

    youtu.be/M6hGjh9SJ_M?...
    view full post

    March 5, 2025

  • Rosie S.
    @rosiespinoza.bsky.social (Bluesky)

    Today’s drawing was inspired by @oncontour.bsky.social sharing how #bumblebees love to play in blooming Callirhoe involucrata flowers.
    view full post

    January 21, 2025

    1

  • Andrew
    @andrewmichael.bsky.social (Bluesky)

    youtu.be/M6hGjh9SJ_M?...
    view full post

    December 20, 2024

    1


  • @veteranvandal.bsky.social (Bluesky)

    youtu.be/M6hGjh9SJ_M?...
    view full post

    December 14, 2024

  • Bryan Sarauer
    @pawistik.bsky.social (Bluesky)

    Watching @zefrank.bsky.social videos and finding great educational content for my courses, like this highly educational and damn funny video about bee intelligence. It'll come in handy for tomorrow's Apiculture class. #entomology youtu.be/M6hGjh9SJ_M?...
    view full post

    November 27, 2024

    6

    2

  • Hanna Blue
    @blueberrypoison.bsky.social (Bluesky)

    True facts bees that play with balls and do math. lol he said “ I don’t know which scientist didn’t have the balls to go to art school but still!” And I died lol
    view full post

    November 24, 2024

    1

  • Andrew
    @andrewmichael.bsky.social (Bluesky)

    Here's your homework: youtu.be/M6hGjh9SJ_M?... (I think you'll really enjoy it ❤️)
    view full post

    November 19, 2024

    1

    1

  • Joel Stocksdale
    @geekygearhead99.bsky.social (Bluesky)

    I think so (I’m not super familiar with Best Favorite Animal) youtu.be/M6hGjh9SJ_M?...
    view full post

    May 1, 2024

    1

  • frodosynthesis
    @extrathoughts.bsky.social (Bluesky)

    Love bees
    view full post

    April 30, 2024

    1

  • ZanBizar
    @zanbizar.bsky.social (Bluesky)

    Als je dit filmpje niet even gaat bekijken krijg je billenkoek! youtu.be/M6hGjh9SJ_M
    view full post

    April 27, 2024

  • Toma - Yeen Baws -
    @itomaisfuzzy.bsky.social (Bluesky)

    Today I learned that bees can do math but also love to play with balls. youtu.be/M6hGjh9SJ_M
    view full post

    April 26, 2024

    5

    1

  • RagsyNZ
    @ragsynz.bsky.social (Bluesky)

    The most important thing to remember is bees love balls youtu.be/M6hGjh9SJ_M?...
    view full post

    April 25, 2024

  • Arash Mohebbi
    @thatoldbear.bsky.social (Bluesky)

    youtu.be/M6hGjh9SJ_M Today I learned that bees instinctively love playing with spherical objects like they cant help but wanna fuck around with beads and such :D
    view full post

    April 25, 2024

  • POPLINE
    @POPLINE_org (Twitter)

    RT @EurekaMag: Colour learning when foraging for nectar and pollen: bees learn two colours at once https://t.co/41aeweIzrk
    view full post

    May 8, 2022

    2

  • Science Alerts
    @Science_Alerts (Twitter)

    RT @EurekaMag: Colour learning when foraging for nectar and pollen: bees learn two colours at once https://t.co/41aeweIzrk
    view full post

    May 8, 2022

    2

  • EurekaMag
    @EurekaMag (Twitter)

    Colour learning when foraging for nectar and pollen: bees learn two colours at once https://t.co/41aeweIzrk
    view full post

    May 8, 2022

    2

Abstract Synopsis

  • Bees can learn to associate different colors with nectar and pollen rewards at the same time during foraging.
  • The study shows that bumblebees quickly learn these color-reward connections and can generalize to similar colors when presented with new floral options.
  • This research highlights the importance of understanding bee learning in natural pollination processes and raises new questions about how bees' cognitive abilities influence plant pollination strategies.]