National Honey Bee Day always falls on the third Saturday in August
According to National Day Calendar, National Honey Bee Day started back in 2009. The day has grown to bring awareness to the benefits and environmental needs of honey bees.
Did you know bees are responsible for more than 1/3 of the food we eat? Honeylove.org says that honey bees are actually the world’s most important pollinator of food crops. They pollinate everything from fruits and vegetables to the crops that cows eat. On National Honey Bee Day, take some time to recognize the honey bees contribution to our everyday lives!
Even busy bees need to sleep!
Dr. Universe knows a lot about honey bees. She discusses in one of her articles how honey bees do not have eyelids; so, when they sleep, their eyes will not be closed. Scientists have noticed that bees will also stop moving their antennae or fall over sideways if they’re asleep.
Honey bees are constantly working which results in sleep schedules that are all over the place. The younger bees in the hive tend to sleep a lot less than the older bees. The older bees are said to sleep between thirty minutes and an hour and a half each night.
Honey bees are like humans in the sense that they need their sleep to function properly. Without their sleep, they can suffer from sleep deprivation. The British Broadcasting Corporation states that sleep-deprived honey bees cannot perform their waggle dance correctly. This dance has been shown to communicate information about sources for food and shelter. An incorrect waggle dance can confuse where the bees need to go. The whole colony may suffer if honey bees don’t get their proper amount of sleep at night.
Honey helps with sleep
Did you know honey can actually help you get better sleep at night? Dr. Oz says that honey has natural sugar that raises our insulin slightly and allows tryptophan to enter our brain more easily. Tryptophan is the same compound found in turkey, which makes many people sleepy on Thanksgiving.
Take one spoonful of honey before bed and see how much better you’ll sleep!
Don’t forget to thank the honey bees this month for working hard and giving us the gift of sweet honey and restful sleep!
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