Bee Zzzzzz's

[Rusted!]

Just an interesting question:
Do Bees Sleep?
Not like I can make use of this little tid-bit, just curious.

[annette]

People have asked me this question also and I did not know the answer, so we shall wait and see.

Annette

[Michael Bush]

>Do Bees Sleep?

I've watched them many times in the observation hive and wondered if they were dead.  Huber describes it thus:

"When the workers penetrate the cells, and remain fifteen or twenty minutes motionless, I have reason to believe, it is to repose from their labours. My observations on the subject seem correct. You know, Sir, that a kind of irregular shaped cells, are frequently constructed on the panes of the hive. These, being glass on one side, are exceedingly convenient to the observe, since all that passes within is exposed. I have often seen bees enter these cells when nothing could attract them. The cells contained neither eggs nor honey, nor did they need further completion. Therefore the workers repaired thither only to enjoy some moments of repose. Indeed, they were fifteen or twenty minutes so perfectly motionless, that had not the dilation of the rings, shewed their respiration, we might have concluded them dead. The queen also sometimes penetrates the cells of the males, and continues very long motionless in them. Her position prevents the bees from paying their full homage to her, yet even then the workers do not fail to form a circle around her and brush the part of her belly that remains exposed.

"The drones do not enter the cells while reposing but cluster together on the combs; and sometimes retain this position eighteen or twenty hours without the slightest motion. " -- François Huber, New Observations on the Natural History Of Bees

http://www.bushfarms.com/huber.htm#beesinrepose

[Doc]

As far as anybody can tell, yes.

Notoriously busy, the returning field-bee, after passing off her load of nectar for processing, often crawls into an empty cell and takes a nap for twenty minutes or so.

[Bill W.]

So far, most invertebrates that have been studied for sleep (including bees) have been concluded to sleep.  However, what constitutes sleep for an invertebrate is not necessarily the same as what we experience as humans.  For example, most vertebrates learn and are thought to consolidate learning during sleep.  Invertebrates (with the exception of octopus, squid, and relatives) probably don't have a whole lot of learned information to organize.  Vertebrates also dream, but most invertebrates lack brain structures that we associate with dreaming.

So, they clearly go through an inactive period where they are less reactive to stimulus, which we consider sleep, but their sleep definitely has different qualities than human sleep.

[Rusted!]

MOST interesting! 

But I think that I will have to take myself off for a little "repose"  of my own for this evening.
Pleasant Zzzzzz's all. :-D

[DaveKow]

>Do Bees Sleep?



"The drones do not enter the cells while reposing but cluster together on the combs; and sometimes retain this position eighteen or twenty hours without the slightest motion. " -- François Huber, New Observations on the Natural History Of Bees

http://www.bushfarms.com/huber.htm#beesinrepose

Those lazy beestards!

[JP]

I always assumed they had to take some kind of rest at night, it just makes sense, I mean, for God sake's the poor little gals work so hard in the daytime.

At least most of them do, I'm sure some of them are slackers, I've seen some bee slackers before, bums of the beeworld. They are freeloaders, you give them housing, don't charge them rent, even give frames of honey from the more productive ones, the go getters.

All we want in return is a lil honey now and again, friggin' welfare bees! Sometimes you even have to combine some of the go getters with these bums to get them to get off their arses.

Sometimes it works, sometimes, well, bums, I tell ya.


...JP


...JP

[bassman1977]

I'm sure some of them are slackers, I've seen some bee slackers before, bums of the beeworld. They are freeloaders, you give them housing, don't charge them rent, even give frames of honey from the more productive ones, the go getters.

All we want in return is a lil honey now and again, friggin' welfare bees! Sometimes you even have to combine some of the go getters with these bums to get them to get off their arses.

Sometimes it works, sometimes, well, bums, I tell ya.

Are they called drones?   :-D

[Cindi]

Bees rest for a good part of their lives.  This is for the quick response.  That being the need to suddenly leave the hive to get to nectar sources, pollen sources, etc..  They need this blast of energy for the emergency stuff, and that happens alot in the colonies.

I quote from the book, "The Biology of the Honeybee" by Mark Winston:

....."these results are of particular interest because they may explain one of the functions of resting.  It appears that workers resting in the colony form a reserve pool that reacts to deleterious changes in colony conditions, such as swarming, pest damage, or disease, and to sudden opportunities such as a discovery of an abundant nectar resource, the pool can also respond quickly to predators before nests or brood are damaged.  By increasing their activity levels, workers may compress the normal ontogeny of tasks into a shorter life span; the nesting workers work harder and die earlier in stressed colonies that in unstressed ones, evidence of a mechanism for temporal caste to be adjusted in response to colony needs.....

...the last aspect of age polyethism which has been noted by almost all researchers is that workers spend most of their time either patrolling the nest or resting.  This seemingly lazy behaviour on the part of the workers is probably quite important in caste structure, however, since by patrolling, workers are presumably gathering information about colony conditions which will determine what jobs get done.  As Lindauer (1952) points out, resting may also have an important function, particularly for workers, which may spend their resting time producing brood food or wax....  Just some interesting stuff, have a beautiful, great day, Cindi

[JP]

Its something how someone on here will mention something and it makes you think or changes your awareness.

The removal I did today, I noticed some bees, here and there that looked like they were resting, and when I touched them, it was as if I awakened them, like when you touch the tailbone of a toad that's been sitting there, and right when you touch that little bump on their backside, they jump.

Yep, as I noticed this one bee in repose, in particular, I thought of this post.


...JP

[Rusted!]

You folks are truly amazing....
Thanks for all the responses. Like JP is saying, I two have noticed a few that seemed to be asleep.  Wasn't sure that was possible, but now I know. Guess it is the same in all worlds, you got your workers, and you got your slackers....  :-)  Just hope the bees don't find out bout welfare, or we are all doomed.   :evil:

Evening all.