Honeybees, despite having brains smaller than a sesame seed and only about 1 million neurons (compared to our 86 billion), are capable of recognizing and remembering individual human faces.
Researchers discovered this by training bees to associate a specific human face with a reward (usually sugar water).
Bees were then shown multiple faces,
even ones they had never seen, and
still correctly identified the face they learned earlier.
What’s even more fascinating is how they do it:
- Humans use a specialized part of the brain for face recognition.
- Bees don’t have this structure, so they analyze faces using the same method they use for flowers, comparing patterns of features (eyes, nose, mouth) and arranging them into a whole image.
- This means face recognition doesn’t require a big brain, it’s a problem-solving strategy, not a specific biological hardware feature.
And yes, bees can remember these faces for several days.
So next time you’re in the garden and a bee seems to “look at you,” it might actually know you’ve been there before.