"Bees Demonstrate Cultural Tradition Preservation Similar to Humans"

A study led by evolutionary biologists at KU Leuven reveals that stingless bees, like humans, can preserve cultural traditions in their architectural styles, with some colonies building in horizontal layers and others in spirals. The researchers observed over 400 colonies of stingless bees and found that the architectural traditions were maintained over many generations of worker bees. The bees were able to switch styles when transplanted to colonies with different traditions, suggesting that the behavior is not genetically determined. This finding challenges the traditional definition of culture and suggests that more complex animal behaviors may have arisen through indirect transmission. Additionally, recent experiments with bumblebees indicate that they are capable of cumulative culture, expanding upon the innovations of previous generations, challenging the notion that this behavior is unique to humans.