Hard-working bees, as it turns out, also need a healthy sleep routine and maybe even a daytime nap, just like we do.
Bumblebees often get exhausted from their flying around collecting pollen and will snuggle into a flower and fall asleep, many times with their chubby, hairy bottoms covered with pollen, showing through the petals.
Bumblebees are incredibly hairy, which is quite handy when it comes to collecting food and for pollinating as they jump from flower to flower.
There are a number of different species, some large some small, and differently colored.
Honey bees come in similar sizes, also have pollen baskets and are hairy, but the hair is layered thin in comparison to that of the bumblebee which makes it much easier to make a distinction between the two.
And while a number of wild bee species nap inside flowers on a regular basis, honey bees normally sleep in shifts inside the hive even though they might stay outside if they lost the fruits of their daily labor.
According to Brandon Hopkins, a researcher in the bee field at Washington State University, sleep is crucial for honey bees because it helps them recall where to get nectar and pollen from.
In many species, the males spend their nights outside, often in large numbers. Their main focus in life is to impregnate a female in order to replace an elderly or close to death queen.
Female bees are the ones who work, care for the queen, the hive, and are tirelessly flying around every day, gathering pollination. And they all deserve people’s gratitude and protection for being so beneficial when it comes to balancing our ecosystems.
So, next time you encounter a napping bee, enjoy the cuteness and thank them for their service.
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