Like, lets say you try to step on a spider and you only wound it without killing it. Does the spider then seek you out to bite you out of a sense of vengeance?
I’m assuming it is just anthropomorphizing to assume so, I am guessing the level of neurological development to be capable of that kind of behavior (memory, emotions, cognition all integrated together) is far beyond what an insect is capable of.
So basically if I try to kill an insect and I fail, is there any risk the insect will seek revenge or will it just go on with its life like nothing happened?
Insects generally don’t want to go after things much bigger then themselves (unless they are a super aggressive species that is defending turf, food or babies). Also, most species (outside of humans, some birds and some primates) tend to live in the “here and now” and don’t really “plan” things. That takes knowing and understanding the concept of “future”.
Some territorial social insects seem like they seek revenge if you attack their home (wasps, bees, ants). Will any of them follow you outside of their home to continue an attack?
I doubt it. Those insects are protecting their nest/hive that contains their food and the queen, two things they are genetically programmed to protect. It would be wasteful and ,potentially deadly, to attack something much bigger then them that is no longer in their “zone”. Hell, another one of you could be waiting to sneak up on the hive/nest! Better to stay by and keep guarding it.
Territorial social insects attack to defend their territory and hive.
Even if they pursue you an apparently outlandish distance, it’s because they consider that distance effectively part of their territory. (Africanized bees, for instance.)
It would be revenge if they broke off pursuit but put you on a hive-wide “Kill on sight” list to attack you without provocation later. :dubious:
Ants, bees, wasps, they go by scents, and it certainly seems like they are out for revenge. In reality they are just evil little fucks that attack anything and everything.
Insects, probably not (except in the pheromone trail sense that **DrDeth **mentions.) Or if they do, research has not yet discovered it.
Crows, on the other hand, seek revenge. And not only will they remember your face and seek revenge for years, they’ll tell all their friends and children that you’re an asshole and should be mobbed. Don’t piss off a crow. The researcher in the article mentions that the same may be true of “coyotes, raccoons, gulls, pigeons and rats,” but does not mention any insects.
Stinging you does a similar thing in some species. If one member of the hive stings you it releases pheromones that basically switch on the others to sting you as well (i.e. they can smell that there is a threat to the hive and are switched on to defense mode). That could make them continue to go after you long after the stingie thinks they are out of the stingers territory.
I’ve heard all sorts of interesting abilities attributed to crows, including that they can tell the difference between a man with a gun and a man with a stick. Yet crows are shot on a regular basis and I’ve yet to see a documented instance of crows recognizing a shooter and taking their feathery revenge.
So three people, Brodi, gnoitall, and WhyNot, have said some form of No.
With no snark intended, does anyone have a cite for this, or at least the background to be able to authoritatively make such a statement?
I ask because I really am curious about the answer, but the fellow who patched my tire today at the tire store would probably have said “No, don’t be silly,” and why should I believe him?
Insects just dont have enough brains to do that- I mean, bees collectively have a sort of intelligence, but it’s not that sort of smarts. Their eyes also likely cant recognize a person.
I also said “No” but I qualified with pheromones. I do have an advanced degree in Zoology.
As a professional biologist with some familiarity with neurobiology, I have the background to authoritatively state that insects don’t remotely have the level of neurological development to be capable of anything that can be considered revenge. In fact, the idea is so far-fetched I don’t think that it’s necessary for us to prove this negative. There would even be few vertebrates, probably including only the more intelligent birds and mammals, that would even have memories long enough to make the concept possible.
In most cases, animals are only going to attack in order to defend themselves. Even when animals recognize individuals that have hurt them in the past, they probably only attack as a pre-emptive defense. It’s not because of any sense of justice or retribution.
Well you probably wont believe this but a friend of mine said that he once walked into his shed and there was this big wasp colony. He saw them and slowly backed away. He began to daily walk in and walk out and soon they had an “understanding” that he wouldnt harm them and they would not go after him. It worked well that he easily could just walk in and out doing his business and the wasps would peacefully go about theirs. While if another person tried this, the wasps went after them. Well once he walked in and one particular wasp was being aggressive towards him. He left and when he came back, that wasp was dead and the others were acting peaceful. It seems they “took care of one of their own”.
So while you might think a particular wasp might not be so smart, hive insects can form a central “brain” and have higher level thinking. This is why often beekeepers can work around their own hives and not get stung while the bees will attack newcomers.