CAPE HONEY BEES: COGNITIVE MARVELS
Chris Nicklin, apiarist, documentary film maker
Tuesday 27 January 3.00 pm COURSE FEES R115; Staff and students R58
Honey bees are far more than mere pollinators; they are cognitive powerhouses with problem-solving abilities. Ground-breaking research reveals that these tiny-brained insects exhibit complex decision-making abilities, numerical cognition, emotional states and even cultural learning. Bees navigate using abstract concepts, communicate through intricate dances and adapt to novel challenges – skills that are critical for survival in a changing world.
This lecture explores why such intelligence matters to humans. As apex pollinators, bees sustain global food systems, yet pesticides, habitat loss and climate change threaten their survival. A special focus will be on the Cape honey bee (Apis mellifera capensis), renowned for its asexual reproduction, social parasitism and remarkable resilience. International researchers are studying its unusual genetics and behaviour, offering insights into evolution, disease resistance and even robotics. From ‘hive minds’ to human survival, this lecture will illustrate how bees are reshaping science, agriculture and our understanding of intelligence itself.
This lecture is related to the excursions on page 24.
Recommended reading
Bakker, K. 2022. The Sounds of Life: How Digital Technology is Bringing Us Closer to the Worlds of Animals and Plants. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Buchmann, S. 2023. What A Bee Knows: Exploring the Thoughts, Memories and Personalities of Bees.
Washington DC: Island Press.
Chittka, L. 2022. The Mind of a Bee. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Munz, T. 2016. The Dancing Bees: Karl von Frisch and the Discovery of the Honeybee Language. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Tautz, J. 2021. Communication Between Honeybees: More than Just a Dance in the Dark. Switzerland AG: Springer Nature.
TO BOOK: https://www.webtickets.co.za/performance.aspx?itemid=1575462935