Have you ever seen a bee lying perfectly still on top of a flower and wondered, “Is that bee sleeping? Is it alive?”
The other morning, I opened the door to my apartment and counted eight bees (eight!) lying on top of my bed of flowers. Some were splayed out, legs and antennas stretched, while others were curled up.
Scientists say these bees are probably just sleeping and that they’re most likely to be solitary male bees who live outside a hive and don’t serve a queen. That’s actually true of most bee species, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service.
While solitary female bees make nests, solitary male bees don't. Instead, when they emerge from their mother’s nest in the summer, they start sleeping in flowers.
Why? To put them closer to potential mates, according to Ana Legrand, assistant professor of entomology at the University of Connection Extension.
“The females will be visiting the flowers to collect pollen, and so [the male bees] are right at the flower when the females start foraging and that kind of gives them a leg up in terms of finding mates and competing with other males,” Legrand said.
Flowers also give male bees pollen and shelter from the cold. There’s even research that suggests dark-colored flower petals provide more warmth to bees.
But this time of year, cooler temperatures make for sleepier bees. Unlike humans, insects can’t regulate their body temperature. So, you’re more likely to see them sleeping in flowers after the sun is up.
“We maintain a body temperature at a constant level, but insects in general, including bees, are more tied to the outdoor environment,” Legrand said. “They become very inactive with the cold temperature.”
Sadly, there is a chance the bee is dead. Solitary male bees spend most of their lives in the early development stage, spending just three to eight weeks as adults.
Either way, Legrand says, if you see a sleeping bee, it’s best to leave it alone.
“There's not much you can do. It might be dead or it might be just resting. So it's just best not to disturb it,” she said.
“If you're really curious, you could poke a little bit and see if there's some movement. But if it's been there for a while, it may be just stuck on the flower. That can happen,” she said.
How to help pollinators survive this winter
Most native bees survive winter not as adults, but as pupae — the life stage before adulthood — hibernating in nest cells.
In Connecticut, most bee species nest in the ground, digging tunnels in soil or sand that can vary from six inches to several feet below the surface, according to the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.
If you want to help them survive the winter, the National Park Service recommends you skip raking up leaves since they can provide much needed insulation for ground-nesting bees.
You can even postpone pulling up dead annual and perennial flowers until the spring, since the flowers can help trap leaves and create mulch, according to the University of New Hampshire.
Keeping old wood, logs and bark in your yard undisturbed can also help bees that nest in cavities.
And be sure to plant flowers that bloom early and late in the year to ensure food for pollinators. Growing them in clusters helps pollinators find them more easily and conserve energy while looking for food.
For more tips on how to help pollinators in your garden, visit:
Áine Pennello is a Report for America corps member, covering the environment and climate change for Connecticut Public.
