Emotions in Honey Bees
Emotions in organisms other than people is a controversial topic to some. Much depends on the definition of an "emotion" and then there are the human emotions that arise when it comes to describing people as animals.
This discussion fits in a number of ways with the human-honey bee interface. Take, for instance, the honey bee dance "language." Other topics in the emotional realm might be "telling the bees" when their beekeeper has died, and the idea that bees notice when the beekeeper is not calm in manipulating a colony, resulting in more stings.
A leading figure in the study of honey bee emotions is Dr Zbigniew Lipinski, who has written a volume entitled "Essence and Mechanism of Nest Abandoment by Honeybee Swarms," printed in Poland by Blenam Olsztyn, and published by the author in 2001. It won the gold medal at the 2001 Apimondia Congress in Durban, South Africa.
As always for fuller information, return to the Apis Information Resource Center.
Contents at a Glance
Reader Feedback
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Dr._Malcolm_Sanford
Dec 18, 2008 @ 12:22 pm | in reply to marshaltaylor | delete
- We do not know that honey bees can sense human fear; there is the old world custom of "telling the bees" when the beekeeper has died; whether the insects express sadness is not known. see: http://loiszing.blogs.com/artaction/2007/06/what-do-you-nee.html
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marshaltaylor
Dec 18, 2008 @ 10:58 am | delete
- How do bees react to human emotions. I understand they react to fear, but what about a beekeeper's sadness? Would they react to other emotions of the beekeeper?
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Dr._Malcolm_Sanford
Dec 22, 2006 @ 9:37 am | delete
- Anyone interested in this topic and/or wishing more informationshould contact Dr. Lipinski directly <lipinski@sprint.com.pl>. If you find other electronic resources on emotions in insects/animals, let me know.
Malcolm T. Sanford
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Further Links of Interest
- PR-bookreview: "Essence and mechanism of nest abandonment by honeybee swarms" by Zbigniew Lipinski
- One can comprehend, that the book deserved the gold medal. Because the author explains in his book not only his new theory on swarming of honeybees, but it flows also a rich experience treasure into it, as well as his extensive literature knowledge.
He speaks about the effort to solve the mystery of swarming in our beloved honeybees, but is conscious, that only 1 % of the behaviour of the bees is actually known and documented by scientists. - Emotion in animals - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Emotion in animals considers the question whether non human animals feel in the sense humans understand it.
Different answers have been suggested throughout human history, by animal lovers, scientists, philosophers, and others who interact with animals, but the core question has proven hard to answer since we can neither obtain spoken answers, nor assume anthropomorphism. - The Elusive Honey Bee Dance "Language" Hypothesis
- The Elusive Honey Bee Dance "Language" Hypothesis: Journal of Insect Behavior, Vol. 15, No. 6, November 2002 - Pages 859-878.
- The Beespeaker - Peformance artist Madam
- Performance artist Lori Weidenhammer has created a persona called Madame
Beespeaker, inspired by the lost folklore of "telling the bees." During the
Second Site Collective show she will be the resident beespeaker in Van
Dusen Gardens this summer.
www.absolutevalueofnoise.ca/UTOPIA/2006_BEES/
Madame Dolittle would like to hear from you! Do you have any special
messages for the bees? Whether you suffer from and seek relief from
anxieties, ailments, sorrows, lost objects, or simply wish to share the
gratitude of your recent joys, Madame Dolittle will pass your messages onto
the honeybees, bumblebees, and other enlightened insects. You can reach her
at beespeaker@gmail.com. - The Beespeaker Project
- The Beespeaker Project is a site-specific interactive performance in Victoria Park, downtown Regina. Performance-based artist Lori Weidenhammer will channel Madame Doolittle, a time-traveler who uses her scientific knowledge and extra sensory perception to communicate with honeybees. During her residency in the park I will install a tent in the shape of a bee skep. The tent will act as a physical point where messages are posted and communicated to and from the bees.
by Dr._Malcolm_Sanford
Dr. Malcolm T. Sanford is retired from the University of Florida. He has written about beekeeping and apicultural issues for over 30 years and continue... more »
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