FOR an animal with a brain the size of a pinhead, the honeybee possesses remarkable mental abilities. It has already been shown that they can count; now it seems they can recognise human faces.
Adrian Dyer of the University of Cambridge and colleagues trained honeybees to associate a sucrose drink with a photograph of a particular face. The insects were then tested on their memory and recognition skills by being presented with the picture of this face and the pictures of three other faces not associated with any reward.
Of the seven bees tested, two lost interest in the trial…
