What I didn't know until I read this over at Listverse, is that they have a pretty short life and can die from exhaustion! Now that's pretty scary, but shows just how industrious they really are.
Insomnia
It has been a subject of debate for some time whether or not honey bees actually sleep. Many fact sheets on these creatures insist that they do not and that they eventually die of exhaustion. This is both true and untrue. In reality, honeybees are more akin to narcoleptics than insomniacs. Researchers have observed short periods of time, 30 seconds on average, when bees become unresponsive, their antennae droop, and their bodies become relaxed. Younger bees are typically sporadic in their sleeping habits, while older bees have more regular sleeping habits, even retreating into the cells of their hive for a quick nap. These short bursts appear to be all the rest a young honeybee ever gets. Between three to six weeks after taking its first flight, the average honeybee works itself to death, literally falling over from exhaustion.
I guess the moral of this story is to take the time to rest now and then during the day. I reckon that gives one more reason to take a nap in the afternoon! That's a good thing!
Coffee in the kitchen this morning. Way too damp outside to use the patio.
