When bees go to bed: features of insect rest
Watching the hive of bees and the work teeming in it, it seems that the processes never stop. Each individual is constantly on the move and does its job. It seems that insects never sleep. But in fact, bees also need sleep.
Content
Communication and features of bees
Honey bee.
Honey bees that live in families have a clear hierarchy. There is a queen bee, the main bee, which is the founder of the family, and worker bees. There are also drones, annuals.
It seems that the most important is just the founder, because she lays eggs and regulates the behavior of animals. But working individuals are responsible for the entire hive, if necessary, they can feed a new queen.
A large colony is arranged very unusually and correctly, they have their own organization. They know how to dance and thus convey information about the source of food.
Bees also have reflexes, which has already been tested and confirmed scientifically. They have their own smell, characteristic of the family and the uterus.
Bees are peaceful, if different species or several individuals from different hives are found in nature, they do not fight. But one bee, if it wanders into someone else's hive, will be expelled.
The life span of one working honey bee is 2-3 months, for those born in autumn - up to 6 months. The uterus lives about 5 years.
Do bees sleep
Bees, like people, have a fairly long sleep, from 5 to 8 hours. This information was confirmed back in 1983 by the scientist Kaisel, who was studying these unusual insects. going on the process of falling asleep as follows:
- the animal stops;
Sleeping bees.
- legs bend;
- body and head bowed in the floor;
- antennae stop moving;
- the bee remains on its belly or remains on its side;
- some individuals hold on to others with their paws.
When the bees sleep
The onset of sleep depends on what role this or that individual plays. Their sleep duration is the same as that of others.
Sleep benefits for bees
People sleep in order to restore strength and gain new ones. Without proper rest, the body wears out much faster, vital processes slow down and go wrong.
The bee is on vacation.
Experiments that have been carried out on the reaction of bees to the lack of sleep, led to results that surprised everyone. Insects suffer greatly without rest:
- The dance moves were slow and wrong.
- They strayed from the route and searched for a source of food for a long time.
- Even lost from their own family.
- They even see dreams that add up to knowledge.
How bees behave in winter
Wasps, close relatives of bees, do not show any activity in winter, but hibernate. But bees don't sleep in winter. Their life processes slow down, which allows them to save food. They gather in a pile around the uterus, nourish it and warm it.
This period begins with the onset of cold weather, depending on the region. But in climatic regions that do not have sharp temperature changes during the year, bees are active in winter.
Conclusion
In order for the bees to gain more strength and energy for their hard work, they go to bed. These hours of rest help them re-tune themselves to work and bring honey to their families.
