Editing Bee learning and communication (section)

===Memory===
A 2005 three-part study tested the [[working memory]] of honey bees, after learning to associate a certain pattern with a reward (delayed matching-to-sample). Bees were shown a pattern at the beginning of a tunnel, and then subjected to a series of variations: in the length of the tunnel (How long can bees retain the pattern in working memory?), in a choice between two patterns (matching and non-matching) placed at different distances (Can bees trained in the task continue to perform correctly when the matching pattern as well as a non-matching pattern are presented in the tunnel?); and a choice between two patterns (Can bees learn which of two sequentially encountered patterns in the tunnel is the pattern to be matched in the decision cylinder?). The researchers found that working memory in the honey bee is both robust and flexible. The experiments demonstrated that bees can choose between alternatives, determine if a stimulus is the same or different than one seen earlier, remember the earlier one for a short period, and generalize this performance to new pairs of stimuli. The bees retained information in working memory for about 5 seconds, and they might have been simultaneously learning a matching and a nonmatching task; further research was needed.<ref>{{cite journal | first = S | last = Zhang  |author2=Bock F|author3=Si A|author4=Tautz J|author5=Srinivasan MV |author5-link=Mandyam Veerambudi Srinivasan| date = April 5, 2005 | title = Visual working memory in decision making by honey bees | journal = Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America | volume = 102 | issue = 14 | pages = 5250–5 | pmid = 15795382 | doi = 10.1073/pnas.0501440102 | pmc = 555688|bibcode = 2005PNAS..102.5250Z | doi-access = free }}</ref>