It is believed that bees, like birds and butterflies, use the sun as a compass for navigation unlike mammals who use a mental map. However, Randolf Menzel, a neurobiologist at the Free University of Berlin, and his team suggest that bees do not rely only on the sun, but use a ‘cognitive map’ to find their way. However, it is not yet clear whether they do use a mental map or detect the features of the terrain to reach their destination.
Read more in Nature.
doi:10.1038/nature.2014.15333
Image source: http://www.citr.ca/index.php/18595-2/
