Honey bees and their reward system

Gene Robinson at the University of Illinois has found that honey bees, when they are high on cocaine, exagerate.

Money quote from the press release:

Normally, foraging honey bees alert their comrades to potential food sources only when they’ve found high quality nectar or pollen, and only when the hive is in need. They do this by performing a dance, called a “round” or “waggle” dance, on a specialized “dance floor” in the hive. The dance gives specific instructions that help the other bees find the food.

Foraging honey bees on cocaine are more likely to dance, regardless of the quality of the food they’ve found or the status of the hive, the authors of the study report.

Robinson believes that the cocaine-effect is evidence of an insect-brain reward system. The full report is in the Journal of Experimental Biology.