4780. Do honey bees nap?

 Yes, honey bees do "nap" or sleep, typically resting for 5-8 hours, often at night in the hive but also taking shorter "micro-naps" or power naps during the day in flowers or on blades of grass to recharge, stopping movement, and lowering antennae. Different bee roles, like nurse bees or foragers, have different sleep patterns, but rest is crucial for their function, with some even catching up on sleep if they miss out.

How Bees "Sleep"

• No Eyelids: Bees don't close their eyes, but you can tell they're sleeping when their antennae stop moving and they become still, sometimes tipping sideways.
• Location: Most sleep in the hive at night, but foragers often nap in flowers or on plants during the day.
• Duration: They can have long nightly rests (5-8 hours) or short naps (30 seconds to a few minutes).
• Catching Up: Like humans, if they miss sleep, they'll sleep longer the next night. 

Why They Nap

• Energy Recharge: Naps help them regain energy for their busy activities like foraging.
• Opportunistic Rest: They might nap after drinking nectar or when tired during their foraging routes.
• Different Roles: Nurse bees (younger) and food storers sleep differently than foragers (older), showing varying sleep needs for different jobs, notes a study on NIH.