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The Mind of a Bee review: Can a bee have a form of consciousness?

A radical new book argues that a bee may have a mind of its own, awareness of the world, basic emotions and intelligence. It is a bold and brave claim – but is it true?

By Alun Anderson

13 July 2022

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Bees visit about 1000 of the “right” flowers to make a drop of honey

Peter Atkinson/500px/Getty images

The Mind of a Bee

Lars Chittka

Princeton University Press

ARE we ready for the radical message that an insect may have a form of consciousness? I am not sure.

Most of The Mind of a Bee by Lars Chittka, professor of sensory and behavioural ecology at Queen Mary University of London, will upset no one: it is an entrancing journey through the senses and life struggles of bees. The shock comes in the final chapter, …

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