Can Wasps Memorize Faces?

Whether or not wasps can memorize faces is not clear. While some wasp species are known to do so, their aptitude isn’t as high as we might hope.

Scientists have studied facial recognition in paper wasps and honeybees. They’ve found that the honeybees are able to discriminate between faces and objects, and that the ability to do so can be learned. However, paper wasps don’t have the same special cognitive mechanism.

Paper wasps are generalist visual predators. They can distinguish between geometric patterns and simple geometric shapes. They’re also good at detecting contrast and outlines. These traits have allowed them to form communal nests and raise offspring cooperatively. The ability to remember a person’s face over time could have helped them sort out their friends from their enemies.

The study also revealed that the wasps learned to distinguish between a pair of black shapes on a white background. It took 40 trials for the wasps to learn how to pick the correct image.

Similarly, the honeybees could discriminate between a face and a distractor face. They learned this by looking at the target face for a few seconds, then switching their gaze to the distractor image for about five seconds.

Despite these findings, the wasps couldn’t distinguish between different caterpillars. The study showed that wasps’ facial recognition abilities can be traced back to the last few thousand years, when face specialization evolved relatively quickly.

Tibbetts is currently working on a study that focuses on the neural processes involved in learning. She hopes to uncover parallels between human and wasp learning and intelligence.