The question of whether insects are conscious and capable of suffering is scientifically active and has major implications for animal welfare given insects enormous numbers.
The question of insect sentience is one of the most consequential unresolved questions in animal welfare science. If insects have even minimal capacity for suffering, the scale of potential welfare concern is staggering — insects are farmed, used in research, and killed in agriculture in numbers that dwarf all vertebrate use combined. The scientific evidence is genuinely uncertain. Bees demonstrate some markers of negative emotional states including pessimistic cognitive bias and apparent nociception. However, the neural basis of consciousness remains poorly understood even in vertebrates, making definitive conclusions about insect sentience impossible. The precautionary principle suggests taking steps to reduce likely insect suffering while research continues.