There's really no way to prove this either way. It's just a matter of conjecture or belief. I don't believe honeybees have awareness of self, but act from instinct, which is different from conscious thought. Their prime directive is protection of the hive, so if they sense the hive is threatened, they buzz you, head butt you, and if those actions fail to drive you off, they sting, leaving a pheromone that prompts others to sting.
So, Jim, we'll just have to agree to disagree, I guess. I hope no one took my previous post to mean Ithought I knew the answer. I just have doubts.
But how do we explain really "hot" bees that are abnormally defensive of the hive, such as the Africanized bee?
Whatever -- good luck on your thesis, Nadine. I think we'd all like to read it (and I understand warning behavior is only part of what you're working on).
Gary