Fast-learning bees die sooner than their slower working co-workers, research has found. These fast-learning bees collected fewer resources for the colony than their less intelligent counterparts overall. The researchers suggest that this may be because the energy that intelligence requires takes away from limited resources, leaving smart bees with less energy to look for food than their less-intelligent co-workers. Dr Nigel Raine, a co-author of the study and professor in the school of environmental sciences at the University of Guelph, Canada, said: 'Ultimately, the results revealed that fast-learning bumblebees collected fewer resources for the colony over their foraging career. 'These findings provide the first evidence of a learning-associated cost in the wild.' 'Our results are surprising because we typically associate enhanced learning performance and cognitive ability with improved fitness, because it is considered beneficial to the survival of an individual or group,' said co-author Dr. Lisa Evans, with Plant and Food Research in New Zealand.