Caffein increases bee memory

A study in the UK showed that, when fed with caffeine, bee's memory capacity increased three times, according to AFP.

That is the result of a study by a group of scientists from New Castle University and Greenwich University in the UK.

Bees are often difficult to remember the characteristics of flowers when flying at high speeds from one flower to another. Meanwhile, the caffeinated bees can remember where those flowers are, according to Professor Geraldine Wright, a member of the research team.

Bees find honey on coffee flowers - (Photo: AFP)

At the same time, bees absorbing honey with caffeine are filled with coffee pollen. They look for other coffee plants to get more honey, help pollinate more flowers.

The team found that coffee has a significant effect on the long-term memory of bees up to three times when they can still find the smell of flowers after 24 hours.

After 2 days, the bees still have the ability to remember the smell of flowers twice as high as the non-caffeinated bees.

Caffeine is a sour taste for many insects, including bees. Therefore, the team was surprised to find caffeine in honey, according to Phil Stevenson from Greenwich University, a member of the research team.

Research helps to understand more about caffeine's mechanism of action on the human brain, helping explain why people like to use coffee when learning and working.