For daytime creatures like bees, the setting of the sun marks a dramatic shift in their daily rhythms and activities. But what exactly do bees get up to once night falls?
Understanding how bees spend their evenings provides fascinating insight into their natural behaviors adapted for survival. Let’s explore what goes on after dark inside the hive and occasionally outside it too.
Returning to the Hive at Dusk
As daylight fades into dusk all the worker bees that were out foraging for pollen and nectar will make their final hauls. They instinctively know it’s time to wrap up their outside duties and head home to the hive.
Scout bees also complete any last perimeter checks and security sweeps around areas near the entrance. Then they too head in for the night.
Within about 30 minutes of nightfall, almost all workers will have returned to the interior of the hive and settled into their evening routine.
Clustering Together for Warmth
One of the main things bees do at night is congregate together in a dense, compact ball-like cluster. Worker bees huddle around the queen, using their bodies to keep her warm
By vibrating their wing muscles, the massed bees generate heat. This cluster formation helps maintain a toasty 93°F temperature in the hive’s core, even when outside temps plummet below freezing.
Drones may form a secondary loose cluster on the outskirts. But a few workers always remain on guard duty even through the night.
Resting and Conserving Energy
Within the insulation of the cluster, most worker bees remain still to conserve energy. They don’t sleep exactly like humans, but they enter a rest state where they are relatively inactive.
Bees may take short catnaps lasting only minutes at a time, periodically waking up again to rotate duties. Queen bees also take brief intermittent rest periods as they continue laying eggs.
Drones appear to experience deeper sleep states than the workers since they don’t have to take turns powering the warmth-generating cluster.
Guarding the Hive Overnight
While most bees rest, some workers position themselves near the hive entrance to stand watch overnight. These guard bees monitor for any signs of intruders like mice, skunks, or raccoons that may try to invade.
Scout bees also patrol the vicinity outside the hive to defend the immediate perimeter. Protecting the queen and colony never stops, even when it’s dark.
Responding to Disturbances
Despite their desire to rest at night, bees remain semi-alert to potential disturbances. Loud noises, movements, or vibrations can rouse them into action.
They may rush to defend the hive if they sense a major threat. But in general, bees try to avoid depleting their energy reserves overnight unless it’s an emergency.
Taking Cleansing Flights
On rare occasions, some worker bees may briefly leave the hive at night to take cleansing flights. This allows them to void feces built up over the day away from the nest.
But such nighttime excursions are sporadic and as quick as possible. The bees want to minimize time exposed in darkness.
Mating Flights by Drones
In special circumstances, male drones may depart the hive at night when hoping to mate. To conserve the colony’s resources, drones are kicked out each fall.
As they desperately seek mating opportunities before dying, some drones risk short orientation flights at dusk or dawn. But most remain inside as long as possible.
When Bees Occasionally Fly at Night
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Tropical bees adapted to be nocturnal to access certain night-blooming flowers.
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Migrating swarms may fly through the night to reach a new nest site safely.
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Male orchid bees gather scents from flowers that are more aromatic at night.
But outside of rare exceptions, most bees worldwide avoid nighttime activity as much as possible!
Why Nighttime is so Detrimental to Bees
There are several key reasons why bees evolved to operate during daylight hours only:
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Lack of sunlight means they can’t see hazards, navigate well, or identify flower colors/patterns.
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The sun’s orientation helps bees locate their hive after pollination trips. Without it, they get lost.
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Night flowering plants are scarce, giving bees no food sources to forage on.
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Chilly overnight temperatures cause issues with flight and activity.
But the dangerous darkness means their stinging defenses are down. So the wisest choice bees make is staying put each night until sunrise rouses them into action once again. Their circadian rhythms and survival instincts drive them to remain safely homebound after nightfall.
What Do Bees Do At Night | Busy Beekeeping
FAQ
Do bees stay active at night?
What happens to bees in the dark?
Where do bees go overnight?
What kind of bees come out at night?
What do bees do at night?
In fact, bees play a critical role in maintaining their hive’s health and survival, even when the sun goes down. At night, bees engage in a variety of tasks that are essential to their colony’s success. They must rest, repair and clean their hive, and guard against predators that may try to attack their precious home.
Do bees sleep at night?
The electrophysiological correlates of sleep in the bee are unknown, but single cell recordings from directionally sensitive optomotor interneurons reveal a circadian rhythmicity with decreased sensitivity to a pattern stimulus at night, corresponding to times of decreased locomotor activity and behavioral sleep ( Kaiser and Steiner-Kaiser, 1983 ).
How do Bees navigate at night?
One of the key navigation techniques used by bees at night is celestial navigation, which involves using the position of celestial bodies, such as the moon and stars, as reference points. By aligning themselves with celestial landmarks, bees can determine the direction they need to fly in order to return to their hive or locate specific flowers.