Plants Drug Bees With Caffeine

Originally Published: 30 June 2020

"The story of world conquering success would read differently were plants able to tell it."

Now that’s something you never thought you'd ponder about. Unless you're into those dystopian novels where plants take over the world.

Yet, this is what Michael Pollan postulates in his new audiobook 'Caffeine'.

To truly understand his relationship with caffeine, Pollan quit coffee for three months. It may seem counter-intuitive but Pollan wanted to understand what really drove his caffeine addiction. While unable to come up with a definite answer, he now regulates his caffeine content. In his audiobook, Pollan discusses a short history of how caffeine came to be "the world's most widely-used psychoactive drug" and "the only one we routinely give to children." So where do plants fit into this?

Caffeine is naturally found in plants such as the Coffea and Citrus species. In the tissues and seeds, caffeine appears in high concentrations, functioning as a defence mechanism to deter predators. It is also present in low concentrations in the nectar, which gives these plants a sweet advantage. Sweet as honey.

CAFFEINE IMPROVES BEE MEMORY

A study published in 2015, found that caffeine improves honeybees' long term memory. Clearly, you're not the only busy bee downing espresso shots before exams to brew that information into your sleep-deprived-caffeinated brain.

As part of the study, some honeybees were given a sucrose solution containing caffeine in concentrations found naturally in plants, while others were given a sucrose-only solution. The bees given the caffeinated sucrose solution were three times as likely to remember the floral scent of the flower and return to it like a loyal Starbucks Gold member. Even 72 hours later, the caffeinated bees were twice as likely to remember the floral scent.

The study found that: "By using a drug to enhance memories of reward, plants secure pollinator fidelity and improve reproductive success."

You're probably thinking- druggie.

The lead author of the study- Geraldine Wright- says: "The plant is secretly drugging the pollinator. It may help the bee, but the plant cares more about having a pollinator with high fidelity!"

Interestingly, the low concentrations of caffeine never go beyond a bee's "bitter taste threshold." Pollan explains that this makes sense because "the plant doesn’t necessarily want to kill its predator, only disarm it." He calls this part of the "plant defence chemical vs insect arms race."

Bees are being drugged by plants- so what? Pollan then draws a parallel- which to be honest- really stings.

Pollan mentions how caffeine is deliberately added to soda, discussing the results of a study in 2000, lead by Roland Griffiths- a John Hopkins researcher- who he quotes saying: "if you pair caffeine with any flavor, people will express a preference for that flavor." Does that ring a buzz…no- bell?

Before discussing our own addiction to caffeine, it's worth exploring the sequel to the bee's unrequited love for the caffeine-producing plant.

THE ARMS RACE: CONTINUED

Another study published in 2015, also used two sucrose solutions- one with caffeine and one without- to test how often honeybees would return to the feeder in a three hour period. They found that honeybees given the caffeinated sucrose solution, returned 24 times within the three hour period, compare to those given the sucrose-only solution, who returned 19 times. The team also monitored what is called 'a waggle dance'- the movements performed by bees to alert other members about the presence of a food source. The caffeinated bees were more likely to perform a waggle dance, with greater frequency, compare to the bees who fed on the non-caffeinated source.

The study found that the caffeinated honeybees "overestimated the forage quality", meaning they ignored other sources of nectar and kept returning to the caffeinated feeder. Using a model, the research team demonstrated how the caffeine cravings were making bees less productive as it resulted in them producing less honey for their colony.

The lead author of the study- Margaret Couvillon- says: "I think when people think about pollination, they think of the collaborative nature of it, the nice, sweet partnership of it…But as with many partnerships, there’s potential for conflict. One side will always want to cheat the other if they could get away with it."

This sounds like a promising plot for Bee Movie 2.

REDUCTIONIST OR REVOLUTIONARY?

Towards the end of his audiobook, Pollan engineers what may- at first- appears to be an attractive concept. He says that humans tend to categorise plants as "domesticated species" because we think "we're in charge." He points out that "caffeine has been known to produce delusions of power in the humans that consume it." Are we, like the bees, so blinded by our caffeine cravings that our preference for a latte over a smoothie is actually making us less productive? Pollan acknowledges that his analysis of caffeine viewed through "brain chemistry and economics" could be "an overly reductive way to look at things…" Let's fill in the gaps.

Symbolisation plays a powerful role in altering perspectives we may otherwise never depart from. When coffee is referred to as a 'psychoactive substance', Pollan's perspective is certainly appealing. However, when referred to as a commodity, it's easier to acknowledge the role of slavery, colonisation and capitalist exploitation as cruel catalysts for coffee's global prevalence. Were we to concede that actually we're not "in charge", we would overlook- with great ignorance- the power dynamic that exists between coffee drinker and coffee producer. Unlike the bees, who consume caffeine straight from its source, coffee drinking as a human experience would be impossible without the hard labour that goes into producing it.

THE HUMAN NARRATIVE

Unlike the bees that produce less honey for their colonies, corporations are only gaining more profit from these 'domesticated' plants and through exploiting human labour. Our experience with caffeine is not akin to the bees because there is no collective 'us'. If plants are exploiting bees through caffeine, then humans are exploiting members of their own species- through caffeine, by domesticating plants.

So yes, if plants told "the story of world conquering success", they would paint themselves as victors. Yet, our addiction to caffeine is a story that cannot be told without mentioning the realities of how we exploited our own species. That is not something to be celebrated. Therefore, our story of world conquering success- the human story- is one where there are no 'victors'. It is a history that cannot be re-written but one that must be reflected upon.