Evidence for socially influenced and potentially actively coordinated cooperation by bumblebees

Cooperation is common in animals, yet the specific mechanisms driving collaborative behaviour in different species remain unclear. We investigated the proximate mechanisms underlying the cooperative behaviour of bumblebees in two different tasks, where bees had to simultaneously push a block in an arena or a door at the end of a tunnel for access to reward. In both tasks, when their partner’s entry into the arena/tunnel was delayed, bees took longer to first push the block/door, compared to control bees that learned to push alone. In the tunnel task, just before gaining access to reward, bees were more likely to face towards their partner than expected by chance or compared to controls. These results show that bumblebees’ cooperative behaviour is not simply a by-product of individual efforts but is socially influenced. We discuss how bees’ turning behaviours, e.g. turning around before first reaching the door when their partner was delayed and turning back towards the door in response t..., The dataset was collected through experiments conducted at the University of Oulu, Finland, using buff-tailed bumblebees (Bombus terrestris) obtained from Koppert, The Netherlands. The experiments involved two tasks: a block-pushing task and a tunnel task.
For the block-pushing task, bees were trained either individually (Single control) or in pairs (Partnered) to push blocks off flowers to access the nectar. The training involved pre-training phases with progressively larger blocks covering flowers. The bees were then tested individually in a setup where they had to push blocks to access nectar, with delays introduced to observe their behaviour when alone or with a partner.
For the tunnel task, bees were required to walk through a transparent tunnel to access a reward. The Partnered group underwent training to touch a door at the end of the tunnel simultaneously, while the Single control group was trained individually. Delay tests were conducted to observe the behaviour when one bee wa..., , # Evidence for socially influenced and potentially actively coordinated cooperation by bumblebees

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.gtht76htr](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.gtht76htr)

The dataset contains experimental data on cooperative behaviour in buff-tailed bumblebees (*B. terrestris*) through two tasks: a block-pushing task and a tunnel task.

### Block-Pushing Experiment:

In this experiment, bees were trained to push a block to access a sugar water reward. Two experiments were conducted:

1. **Experiment 1:** Bees were trained either individually (Single control) or in pairs (Partnered). Delay tests were conducted to assess whether the presence of a partner influenced task performance.
2. **Experiment 2:** Similar to Experiment 1 but with variations in block size and training repetitions. Delay tests with longer delay times were conducted to further evaluate bee behaviour.

Results from both experiments were analysed using Generalised Linear Mixed Models (GLMMs). Key findings i...