specialization in the beehive

Young honey bees, for example, are responsible for cleaning honeycombs. They stay close to the brood area, where there is a lot of activity, to sleep. They slip into empty cells – this can help to avoid disturbances, according to the researchers. Older members of the species, on the other hand, who look for food or receive it from the collectors and store it, tend to sleep on the edge and usually outside of cells.

In addition, the collectors follow a clear day-night pattern, while bees in „office“ have several sleep phases. The collectors have to remember more information than the bees in the hive…

quote/source: www.welt.de/newsticker/dpa_nt/infoline_nt/wissenschaft –
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