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Author Topic: Wasps and honeybees can remember individual faces  (Read 4273 times)

Sunshine

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Wasps and honeybees can remember individual faces
« on: December 09, 2013, 12:41:43 AM »



Remember that bee you swatted at and tried to kill, but it ended up getting away? Watch your back, because it knows what you look like. New research reveals that certain paper wasps and honeybees can remember distinct characteristics of individual faces. This came as a surprise to researchers who did not expect to see such advanced social abilities in creatures with such tiny brains.

Humans are excellent at identifying people based on looks. Other animals, like crows, have been documented as being able to identify individuals too, though their brains are much bigger and they are generally regarded as much more intelligent than these paper wasps. Honeybees were also shown to be able to recognize different faces, including those belonging to humans.

When these insects view an individual (be it another insect or the person who just pissed them off by swinging a newspaper at them), their field of vision is broken up into hexagons from the thousands of ommatidia that make up the compound eye. Essentially, they process information based on these chunks from the structures in the eye that act as individual units and put the entire picture together. It might not be very clear compared to what we are used to since they don't have a pupil to regulate the amount of light coming in onto the retina, but it is good enough to allow wasps and bees to discern prominent facial features that can be used for identification.

Understanding how these insects are able to achieve this high level of individual detection with such a relatively simple brain might be able to inspire new facial recognition programs. This research was announced by Elizabeth Tibbetts from the University of Michigan published a paper on these results in the journal Ethology. Her colleague Adrian Dyer from RMIT University has published five papers this year regarding Hymenoptera vision.
« Last Edit: December 09, 2013, 12:46:34 AM by Sunshine »
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PermieGing

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Re: Wasps and honeybees can remember individual faces
« Reply #1 on: December 09, 2013, 02:19:52 AM »

Great write up! I had no clue! I cant wait to show my dad, he just oxalic acid treated them, and they sure were pissed!
I wish i recorded it lol
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Sunshine

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Re: Wasps and honeybees can remember individual faces
« Reply #2 on: December 11, 2013, 11:26:31 PM »

Lmfao...maybe he should apologize? haha
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PermieGing

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Re: Wasps and honeybees can remember individual faces
« Reply #3 on: December 12, 2013, 01:15:31 PM »

Hahaha

My dad said someone posted this article on beesource.
He said the people there were tearing it up, saying stuff like they cant find there hive if ya move it 2feet away, but they can remember your face?

Their comments dont convince me, although the first part is true, unless it is moved in a specific manner
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“Though the problems of the world are increasingly complex, the solutions remain embarrassingly simple.”  Bill Mollison

"You can solve all the worlds problems in a garden" Geoff Lawton

fairdinkumseeds

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Re: Wasps and honeybees can remember individual faces
« Reply #4 on: December 12, 2013, 03:39:31 PM »

Paper wasps like to nest on the underside of banana bunches and many many times I have cut a bunch on a backpackers shoulder, not seeing the wasps.
Once they lock onto the poor backpacker or occasionally me the cutter, they will follow you for ages and pick you out of the group of others running and hiding.
I have run through a group of 10 others then stopped dead and acted casual, then watched them pick me out and nail me yet again.
I thought it was a pheromone thing, because they will really chase you for ages, and I have seen dudes try and use their mates as a shields and it made no difference.
Once your the enemy that's it, they really take it personal.
Makes sense the facial recognition thing, but I reckon there is also scent/pheromone too like ants use on prey, as I always cover my face and balls while running and screaming like a little girl.
Most folks do. ;D
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caso

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Re: Wasps and honeybees can remember individual faces
« Reply #5 on: December 19, 2015, 05:06:15 AM »

nice   ;) ;)


gclub
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