Why are these fuzzy bees curled up inside a flower? They’re sleeping! The bees, called globe mallow bees, live across the western U.S. They feed on the nectar and pollen of the brightly colored flowers of globe mallow plants.
Like humans, bees sleep to rest and recharge, says Brandon Hopkins, a bee expert at Washington State University. Honeybees sleep a total of 30 to 90 minutes a day in their hives. Bees that don’t live in colonies, like the globe mallow bee, snooze in surprising places—like inside flowers. Scientists don’t know how long these bees sleep.
Bees don’t have eyelids. But you can tell they’re snoozing by the way their antennae, or head appendages, droop and their wings rest on their bodies. Sometimes, you can even tell by the way the insects cuddle together!