Noxious stimulation induces self-protective behavior in bumblebees
Matilda Gibbons,
Elisa Pasquini,
Amelia Kowalewska,
Eva Read,
Sam Gibson,
Andrew Crump,
Cwyn Solvi,
Elisabetta Versace,
Lars Chittka
Affiliations
Matilda Gibbons
Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA; School of Biological and Behavioral Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK; Corresponding author
Elisa Pasquini
Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto 38068, Italy
Amelia Kowalewska
Academic Training Team, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK; School of Biological and Behavioral Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
Eva Read
Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method, London School of Economics, London WC2A 2AE, UK
Sam Gibson
Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method, London School of Economics, London WC2A 2AE, UK
Andrew Crump
Department of Pathobiology & Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, London NW1 0TU, UK; Department of Philosophy, Logic and Scientific Method, London School of Economics, London WC2A 2AE, UK
Cwyn Solvi
Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou City, Guangdong Province 510515, China
Elisabetta Versace
School of Biological and Behavioral Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
Lars Chittka
School of Biological and Behavioral Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, London E1 4NS, UK
Summary: It has been widely stated that insects do not show self-protective behavior toward noxiously-stimulated body parts, but this claim has never been empirically tested. Here, we tested whether an insect species displays a type of self-protective behavior: self-grooming a noxiously-stimulated site. We touched bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) on an antenna with a noxiously heated (65°C) probe and found that, in the first 2 min after this stimulus, bees groomed their touched antenna more than their untouched antenna, and more than bees that were touched with an unheated probe or not touched at all did. Our results present evidence that bumblebees display self-protective behavior. We discuss the potential neural mechanisms of this behavior and the implications for whether insects feel pain.
