Honey bees are strictly diurnal creatures, meaning their activity cycle is confined to daylight hours. Therefore, the answer is straightforward: yes, all honey bees, including those engaged in robbing, must return to their colony before nightfall. This necessity is driven by biological limitations and the complex social structure required for colony survival.
What Constitutes Robbing Behavior
Robber bees are not a distinct species or a separate caste, but individual foraging bees that shift their activity from collecting nectar to stealing stored honey. This aggressive behavior is usually triggered by a nectar dearth, a period when natural food sources are scarce. The scarcity prompts worker bees to seek out other sources, and a nearby, weaker colony represents a concentrated food reward.
The robbing bee attempts to bypass the target hive’s guard bees, which defend the entrance with ferocity. If successful, the robber fills its honey stomach with the stolen goods, such as honey, nectar, or sugar syrup, and returns to its own hive. This behavior carries significant risk, as many bees die during the fighting, and an escalated robbing event can lead to the complete destruction of the victim colony.
Why Bees Must Return to the Hive
The biological imperative for honey bees to return to the hive is rooted in their strict diurnal rhythm. Honey bees lack the specialized visual adaptations necessary for effective navigation in low-light conditions. Their compound eyes are primarily adapted to use the sun’s position and the pattern of polarized light as a navigation compass.
The colony’s survival depends on collective thermoregulation, which is impossible for an individual bee outside the hive at night. When temperatures drop, bees inside the hive form a tight cluster, vibrating their flight muscles to generate heat and maintain a stable brood temperature of approximately 95°F. A lone honey bee cannot sustain this temperature and would quickly become chilled, leading to paralysis and death. The hive provides the warmth and security required for the worker bee to survive until morning.
Environmental Factors Ending the Day’s Activity
The cessation of all honey bee flight, including robbing, is dictated by specific environmental triggers. The most influential factor is the decline in light intensity, which makes navigation increasingly difficult. Honey bees rely on a minimum threshold of light to orient themselves and safely fly back to the colony before becoming disoriented.
The second trigger is the dropping temperature, which affects a bee’s ability to fly. Honey bees require a minimum air temperature, generally around 54°F (12.8°C), to warm their flight muscles for sustained flight. As the sun sets, the ambient temperature falls rapidly, and the risk of a bee being grounded or chilled increases the longer it stays away. Foraging and robbing bees possess an internal sense of time that compels them to halt their activities and begin the journey home before conditions become life-threatening.