Bees stick out their tongues when they “like” food, hinting at inner life

Bees may experience something like pleasure, according to new research from Macquarie University.

Scientists filmed buff-tailed bumblebees tasting sugar, salt, and bitter solutions. Sweet tastes triggered repeated tongue protrusions. Bitter and salty tastes triggered mouth-wiping and head-shaking.

The key was testing whether context mattered. Dehydrated bees suddenly “liked” salty water and stuck out their tongues for it — just as a runner craves electrolytes. To separate desire from enjoyment, researchers gave bees dopamine and endocannabinoids. Dopamine increased motivation but not tongue movements. Endocannabinoids, linked to “liking” in mammals, did increase tongue protrusions.

“Even from an animal like a bee, there is some sort of inner life,” said lead author Andrew Barron. “It’s evaluating its world.”Experts say the study doesn’t prove bees feel pleasure like humans, but shows flexible evaluation of value.

“We should conclude that bees have bee emotions, not mammal emotions,” said Caltech’s Ralph Adolphs.The findings add to evidence that insects may have more complex inner experiences than previously thought.