Comparing behavioural flexibility in the solitary red mason bee and eusocial honey bee

Behavioural flexibility allows animals to adapt to changing environments, but its extent can vary according to sex, experience or social context. The size of the behavioural repertoire and the need to change activities frequently may explain the variation in flexibility observed within and between species. In this respect, high social integration should influence individual flexibility, as division of labour reduces the need for group members to switch tasks for colony survival and reproduction. The behavioural flexibility of males and females of a solitary bee, Osmia bicornis , and foragers of a eusocial bee, Apis mellifera , was compared using two laboratory assays. In a visual reversal learning test, elementary discrimination to gauge learning ability was assessed, and then the reward condition to evaluate flexibility was reversed. A detour test was also used to measure the inhibitory control of Osmia females, which outperformed Osmia males and Apis foragers in the reversal learning test. In the detour-reaching test, Osmia , regardless of sex, performed better than Apis . Results indicate that Osmia females showed a higher level of behavioural flexibility than Osmia males and Apis . In addition, solitary bees born in the lab performed similarly to those collected in the field, raising questions about the role of early adulthood in the expression of flexibility. The results support the hypothesis that flexibility may be linked to the extent of the behavioural repertoire. This study provides new insights into the factors shaping insect behavioural flexibility. • Behavioural flexibility allows animals to adapt to environmental variations. • A comparative approach was performed between solitary and eusocial bees. • Behavioural flexibility was assessed by reversal learning and detour-reaching tasks. • Solitary females outperformed solitary males and eusocial foragers. • Degree of flexibility may be associated with the breadth of behavioural repertoire.