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Bees that are antisocial may have a genetic condition similar to human autism, research suggests.

Inside a bee hive, there are 'rogue' members of the colony that appear to be indifferent to social instructions sent by their hive mates.

Rather than being sick or unintelligent, these insects may have a genetic condition that is similar to autism spectrum disorder, researchers have found.

The finding suggests that our instinct to crave company from others may be shaped by an ancient genetic toolkit that also drives the behaviour of social insects.

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Bees that are antisocial may have a genetic condition similar to human autism, research suggests (stock image)

HOW WAS THE STUDY CARRIED OUT? 

As part of a new study, researchers looked at 246 groups of unrelated bees and studied their responses to two key kinds of social cues.

The first cue, the appearance of an 'outsider' bee, normally elicits an aggressive reaction from a hive member.

And the second, the presence of a member of the queen's offspring, usually prompts a worker bee to start performing nurturing behaviour.

However the researchers identified a small group of insects which did not respond to either social cue.

The researchers then analysed the brains of these unresponsive brains to study the activity of genes related to social behaviour. 

This analysis revealed more than 1,000 genes in the bees' brains that were regulated differently in unresponsive bees.

And many of these genes were closely related to the heredity marks that are precursors to human autism, the researchers said. 

Autism is a developmental disorder that affects people's ability to engage socially and communicate.

As part of a new study, researchers looked at 246 groups of unrelated bees and studied their responses to two key kinds of social cues.

The first cue, the appearance of an 'outsider' bee, normally elicits an aggressive reaction from a hive member.

And the second, the presence of a member of the queen's offspring, usually prompts a worker bee to start performing nurturing behaviour.

However the researchers identified a small group of insects which did not respond to either of these social cues.

The researchers then analysed the brains of these 'unresponsive' bees to study the activity of genes related to social behaviour.

This analysis revealed more than 1,000 genes that were regulated differently in the brains of unresponsive bees.

And many of these genes were closely related to the genetic marks that are precursors to human autism, the researchers said. 

Lead scientist Professor Gene Robinson, from the University of Illinois, said: 'Our data are telling us that social unresponsiveness does have some common molecular characteristics in these distantly related species.

'It's important to point out some caveats. Humans are not big bees and bees are not little humans. 

'The social responsiveness depends on context, and is different in the two cases.'

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The study is a first glimpse of the molecular heritage shared across the animal kingdom and offers tantalizing clues about the evolution of social behaviour, the researchers said.

Previous research in recent years has suggested that autism-like behaviour may have also evolved in mice, dogs and cats, the researchers said.

Inside a bee hive, there are 'rogue' members of the colony that appear to be indifferent to social instructions. Rather than being sick, these insects may have a genetic condition that is similar to autism spectrum disorder (stock image)

Bees and humans have not shared a common ancestor for more than half a billion years and it is still not clear how both species evolved to have such intricate social systems. 

Professor Robinson said social behaviour probably evolved independently in honey bees and humans, but employed 'common tool kits'.

Co-author Dr Michael Saul, also from the University of Illinois, added: 'What really excites me about this study is that there appears to be this kernel of similarity between us and honey bees, a common animal inheritance that potentially drives social behaviour in similar ways.

'We haven't proved this, but this work is telling us where to look for that in the future.'

The findings are published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

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