The recent discovery that bees may be capable of experiencing emotions and even consciousness has profound implications for our treatment of these important pollinators. For many animal rights advocates, the discovery is further evidence that we need to rethink our relationship with animals and the natural world.

For years the decline of bees has been traced to a variety of causes, with no one clear culprit. Pesticides have been identified as a cause of colony collapse. Because bees have been viewed as “mindless” pollinators whose role is as cogs in the production line of agriculture, humans have not focused on the perspective of bees and the impact of industrial farming on their way of life. 

Commercially managed bees are considered livestock by the US Department of Agriculture, and are treated like cattle in the sense that they are viewed as serving human food production. The brutal consequences of this is particularly evident in the industrialized use of bees in California almond production where the bees are shipped to the almond groves, exposed to environmental stressors and pesticides and worked to their death. New research has revealed that bees can demonstrate sophisticated emotions like optimism, frustration, fear and playfulness. Bees have been observed in various experiments producing brain chemicals like dopamine and serotonin that indicate pleasure or excitement, or exhibiting behaviors that demonstrate stress and PTSD. Some bee researchers who study bee sentience, such as Stephen Buchmann, the author of the book, “What a Bee Knows…” believe that the decline in bees doesn’t have a sole chemical cause, it can partially be laid at the door of the stress caused by industrialized agriculture. 

Bees are invertebrates who do not enjoy protection from animal cruelty under US law. Animal sentience is a concept that humans often extend to animals that seem most similar to us, or animals we can regulate in some way, such as our pets, lab animals and endangered animals. Bees and other invertebrates have historically been viewed as insignificant or completely alien to humans, and therefore impossible to consider in our decision-making process. It has only been since the discovery that human activities are impacting pollinators and thus affecting our food supply that humans have paid any attention to the significance of invertebrates as unique living beings that support our ecosystems.

The discovery of bee sentience should be a wake-up call that inspires us to consider the lives of all creatures. It highlights the importance of treating animals with respect and compassion and finding sustainable and effective solutions to animal welfare issues. It also challenges us to rethink our relationship with the natural world and to pursue more sustainable ways to access food and resources. By doing so, we can work towards a future that is more just, equitable, and sustainable for all.