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Bumblebees Rolled Balls for No Reward

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Cutout of a bumblebee voluntarily pushing a small wooden ball across a clean laboratory arena while food sits on a separate direct path
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In a Queen Mary University experiment, bumblebees could walk straight to food or detour into an area of movable wooden balls. They repeatedly chose the detour and rolled balls without training or a sugar reward. Younger bees rolled more, males rolled longer, and one bee returned to roll a ball 117 times. A second test found that bees preferred a chamber color previously associated with rolling. The researchers called it strong evidence of insect object play—not work, courtship, or housekeeping.

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    Bumblebees Rolled Balls for No Reward