Sleeping bees have always fascinated me. Females usually spend nights inside their nests (unless they are cuckoo bees and don’t have one), but males look for various sleeping places. In some species, they like spending the night in a sleeping aggregation of a few (or sometimes quite many) individuals, gathered on a plant stem or inflorescence. They are in plain sight and it’s uncertain what advantages this behaviour has.
Hi Justina! I love your illustrations!
I didn’t know males were the only stem-sleepers. I presume this one is a male, then, am I correct: https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/186191110
There’s a couple (the one in the pic and another one) that are coming every day to the same stem at my house to sleep for the last 2 weeks at least. I can’t say for sure, but I guess they’re the same two every day.
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In fact, your observation shows a female in my opinion 🙂 I don’t know why she doesn’t overnight in her nest. The rule that females sleep in the nests and males elsewhere is not universal (in particular, in cuckoo bees both sexes can’t sleep in the nest, but I remember that there is a non-cuckoo species where males sleep in nest and females outside). Still, in case of Amegilla I would expect ladies to sleep in nest. But I’m no expert in this genus!
So interesting! Thanks for your reply 🙂
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Non-honey bees 
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