How Bees Catch Zzz's

Have you ever seen a sleeping bee? Nature’s famously productive workers need their rest just like any other creature! Honeybees sleep in their hives. But solitary bees—the kind that don’t make honey—snooze in surprising places. Some sleep on small branches, while others curl up for a nap in flowers.

The globe mallow bee is named after its favorite flower, the globe mallow. These bees often catch their Zzz’s in the orange flower—but they don’t snooze for long! Most bees need only 30 to 90 minutes of sleep a night, according to Dr. Brandon Hopkins, who studies bees at Washington State University. The insects don’t have eyelids, but you can tell they’re sleeping by the way their antennae droop and their wings rest on their bodies. And sometimes you can even tell by the way they’re cuddled together!