do bees sleep at all???

[dandelion]

This is not a joke. Someone asked me, and my first reaction was well of course they do... But do they really...? And then I suppose the "sleep" of a bee might be a differnet thing than what we call sleep...
Anyway... It's another rainy day. But today is heavy here in NJ.

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[hoosierhiver]

i've heard the field bees will stick their head in empty cells and take naps,don't know if that's really what they are doing.ants will have short periods of inactivity also where it's presumed they are at least resting if not sleeping.

[Michael Bush]

Bees that are making wax seem to be asleep, and at night the field bees seem fairly inactive, but everyone else seems busy all the time.

[Lershac]

According to a "bee dude" out at Louisiana State University the answer is "No". They are always awake and rarely still for any pereptible periods. Even during winter they shivver.

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Chuck
Information Systems Consultants
Lershac@cox.net

[hoosierhiver]

what exactly is sleep?,a restfull lack of consciousness?if so,are bees conscious the same way we are,and thus can or do they sleep like us or differently?is it bee sleep?

[Wallybee]

Sleep - a state marked by lessened consciousness, lessened movement of the skeletal muscles, and slowed-down metabolism

[Michael Bush]

If that's what sleep is, then I've seen some bees sleeping. But as a whole a bee doesn't seem to need to sleep unless they are drawing wax or just "hanging out"

[scott_dixon]

I agree with Michael, I noticed my bees clustered together, very, very quiet in their shipping cage the night before I loaded them, but at dawn the next AM they were very active, even though they were still in the cage in my house.

[BULLSEYE BILL]

I was watching my observation hive and noticed that with all the activity the only wat to get a few Z's is to go head first into a cell.

Kind of reminds me of when I was working at Cessna aircraft. I was an electrictian wiring avionics in the nose cone. I would have my head stuck in the nacell so long that sometimes I would miss breaks or sometimes they would have to come and get me to go for lunch

Bill

[hoosierhiver]

i had this dream that my house started filling with smoke,them suddenly the roof flew off and bright light rushed in making my occelli wince,then a giant white ghost with a sword started rearranging my furniture.it was really weird.

[SilverFox]

All I Really Want to know----------IS-----------DO FISH FART??????????

[James Urbish]

mostly the male fish!

[dcross]

All the important questions answered... http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/minsectsleep.html http://www.straightdope.com/columns/001110.html