Many of us know not to accidentally disturb a beehive, but most people do not know that bees do sleep, and can be sleep deprived. So, it seems, it’s not a good idea to bother sleepy, grumpy bees!
Scientists have estimated that the amount of time a bees sleeps varies between the age and job of the bee. Older honey bees called foragers are important to bee colonies. They fly from the hive to collect pollen. When returning to the hive their responsibilities include giving directions to other foragers concerning where the pollen can be found. This is called “waggle dancing.”
Bees Wiki explains: “by waggling at a particular angle for a particular length of time, a bee is able to communicate to her friends the distance to the food and its direction in relation to the sun.”
Just like a human, when a bee does not get enough sleep, its wires get crossed, and their messages can get skewed. Dr. Barrett Klein of the University of Wisconsin-La Cross, has also said sleep deprived bees seem to test the patience of other foragers. After a while, the bees simply no longer pay attention to it, and “switch to other dancers”.
It is not necessarily easy to tell if a bee is asleep in a hive. While asleep bees, fold their wings, and droop down in the direction of gravity. While asleep their third thoracic section moves, and their antennas drop. It can also take a bit of time for it to wake up.
Younger bees, who do different jobs than older ones sleep in different areas of the hive. Forager bees tend to sleep in outer parts of the hive, while younger house bees can sleep next to the center of the hive and the developing brood. Older bees seem to require less sleep and get about seven hours at night. Night time is bed time for them, because they are at work during day light hours.
House bees get about 9 to 10 hours sleep and are able to do it when it suits them. All honey bees tend to nap rather than sleep for hours at a time. Bees also tend to wake up when the sun comes up.
In winter, fewer bee survive. These bees are required mostly to keep the queen warm.
Sources
Do Bees Sleep? (2023, February 9). The Wonderful World of Bees: Buzzaboutbees.net. https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://nationalnutgrower.com/article/2023-is-looking-like-one-of-the-worst-years-for-honeybees-in-nearly-two-decades/&ved=2ahUKEwjKtaGMhoeHAxXFkYkEHZTyAyIQFnoECA4QAQ&usg=AOvVaw2xayD1oIRgaHk32Wop0OmU
The buzz: professor explores where insects, dreams and art intersect. (2020, November 9). University of Wisconsin La Crosse. https://www.uwlax.edu/news/posts/the-buzz-professor-explores-where-insects-dreams-and-art-intersect/