Hey Guys, I just stumbled upon a thought. I was just wondering if bees ever feel or experience similar state of stress or happiness as compared to the humans.
Like, mood changes frequently and more.
Yeah, working with the giant Himalayan Bees, I have seen them angry but never ever have I seen a bee happy and fulfilled.
I don’t think they have time to get happy and fulfilled, as they are constantly working.
How do you tell from looking at a bee whether or not it’s happy? I can’t always look at a person and tell whether they’re happy! :-)
Play behavior has been documented in bees, so it seems quite possible that they experience something akin to what we would call enjoyment or satisfaction
https://www.qmul.ac.uk/media/news/2022/se/first-ever-study-shows-bumble-bees-play.html
There are also a couple of fairly recent books (which I have not read and therefore directly comment on) on the topic of bee thought. Reviews:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/apr/02/bees-intelligence-minds-pollination
https://inquisitivebiologist.com/2023/08/15/book-review-what-a-bee-knows-exploring-the-thoughts-memories-and-personalities-of-bees/