Skip to content

Nature

Busy as bee? They need their rest too!

by Paromita Pain 12 Jan 2011
Busy as bee? They need their rest too!

It doesn't take research to show that bleary eyed human beings make dangerous drivers and unproductive workers. Now it seems bees too operate the same way. Sleep deprived honey bees aren't the best locators of food sources says new research from the University of Texas at Austin.

Published in the PNASEarly Edition (journal produced by the National Academy of Sciences),this study led by Dr. Barrett Klein, a former ecology, evolution and bahaviour graduate student at the University of Austin, with co authors Arno Klein from Columbia University, Margaret Wray and Thomas Seeley from Cornell University and Ulrich Mueller at The University of Texas at Austin, this study says when workers bees are deprived of adequate hours of rest their communication skills are diminished and they can't convey precisely the location of food sources to their fellow bees thus resulting in weaker hives.

Influencing communication

The importance of sleep in the insect world has been studied before, most notably in the Drosophila flies but this study is the first that examines the way issues of adequate rest and sleep affects the social life of an insect and how issues of communication are influenced. Keeping the resting bees awake in a hive was a challenge.

For this, Dr. Klein created a machine called the "inseminator", a clever concoction of magnets, aluminum and plexiglass. The bees set aside for the experiment were fitted with metal on their back. When the inseminator was waved over the bees, the magnets reacted with the iron on the bees at night, and kept them active throughout their hours of rest. Studying their waggle dance (a term used to describe the figure-eight dance of the honey bee to communicate a nectar source, signaling both distance and direction with particular movements) later, the scientists discovered that while the directions conveyed wasn't wrong it less precise than the directions given by non-sleep deprived bees. As their abstract to the study says, "The deterioration of the honey bee's ability to communicate is expected to reduce the foraging efficiency of nest mates."

To read the paper online visit http://www.pnas.org/content/107/52/22705.full.pdf+html


Trending Eco-Friendly Clothing

Love My Planet Women's Relaxed Fit Hoodie
Earth
Quick Add
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Love My Planet Women's Relaxed Fit Hoodie
Love My Planet women's eco-friendly relaxed fit hoodieSize Guide Centimeters 8 10 12 14 16 18 Bust 84 88 92 97 103 108 Waist 66 70 75 80 85 91 Hips 91 95 99 104 109 116 Bust: Measure around the fullest part of...
£38.00
£38.00
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Penguins Hate Push-Ups Men's Pullover Hoodie
Earth
Quick Add
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Penguins Hate Push-Ups Men's Pullover Hoodie
Penguins Hate Push-Ups men's eco-friendly pullover HoodieSize Guide Centimeters XS S M L XL XXL Height 171 175 179 183 189 195 Chest 86 93 99 104 116 129 Waist 71 76 81 89 99 112 Chest: Measure all round your chest just below...
£38.00
£38.00
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Lightning Bolt Kids Long Sleeve T-Shirt
Earth
Quick Add
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Notify me
Lightning Bolt Kids Long Sleeve T-Shirt
Lightning Bolt kids eco-friendly long sleeve t-shirtSize Guide Centimeters 3-4yrs 5-6yrs 7-8yrs 9-10yrs 11-12yrs Height 98 112 125 136 147 Chest 60 66 70 75 84 Chest: Measure all around your chest just below your armpits. Height: Your natural height If you fall between...
£18.00
£18.00
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Notify me
Union Jack Tote Bag
Earth
Quick Add
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Union Jack Tote Bag
Union Jack eco-friendly colour tote bagProduct Specification Organic Cotton Tote Bag. Twill Weave (170gsm). 37 x 42 cm (7cm gusset.) Made in India / Designed on the Isle of Wight. Wash Cool, Hang Dry.
£16.00
£16.00
Close
Notify me
Notify me
Prev Post
Next Post

Eco-Friendly Shop

Women's Clothing

Eco-Friendly Clothing for Women Our online shop offers a wide range of sustainable women’s clothing products, including t-shirts, hoodies, vests, sweaters, shorts, and...
Shop Now

Men's Clothing

Eco-Friendly Clothing for Men Our online shop offers a wide range of sustainable men’s clothing products, including t-shirts, hoodies, vests, sweaters, shorts, and...
Shop Now

Kids Clothing

Eco-Friendly Clothes for Kids Our online shop offers a wide range of sustainable kids clothing products, including t-shirts, hoodies and jumpers. Our garments...
Shop Now
Someone recently bought a
[time] ago, from [location]

Thanks for subscribing!

This email has been registered!

Shop the look

Choose Options

Earth Times
Sign up for exclusive updates, new arrivals & insider only discounts

Recently Viewed

Edit Option
Back In Stock Notification
this is just a warning
Login
Shopping Cart
0 items

Before you leave...

Take 20% off your first order

20% off

Enter the code below at checkout to get 20% off your first order

CODESALE20

Continue Shopping