I have never seen honey bees do this, only native bees, mostly bumbles, I suspect not only for a sleep over but a place to go to when bees are old and dying.

Konrad

Here is a link that might be useful: Bees

I often found bumble bees sleeping (and/or passing away) on flowers, especially my lavender plants, in my last garden. That garden was in an urban environment and there were not that many perennial flowers around other than in my yard, so maybe that's why I saw so many.

Especially in the fall when the nites get cool they are allmost comatose till the sun warms them up. That's the bumblebees. Honeybees go home at nite.And some do die.

Yes, bees are sleeping on your flowers. While females may return to the hive, males often prefer to pass the night on a blossom. Cosmos are a particular favorite of members of the Melissodes species. No male bee of any species has a stinger, so feel free to take a closer look!

awe... sounds sweet. Sure they were not fairies? I have heard they do sleep in flowers (-:

Lesli

Yes! Last summer in early mornings I would find the flowers in my cutting garden being used as flop houses. LOL. Some flowers had a full ring of slumbering bees. They were so cute. I wonder if I still have the photos...

This is not my photo. I found it on Photo bucket...
{{gwi:429543}}

I live in Ireland and there are two bees sleeping on flowers in my garden as we speak. I initially thought they were dead, but in the morning when they are warmed up by the sun they get on with their day....

Yea..it's mostly male bees staying out, ..not because they prefer, they
are not welcome at home....female, [worker bees] shove males out of their hive because breeding is over and pretty well useless at home at the end of season. There will be next to zero male bees going into winter inside a hive.

I have a massive lavender bush in my front and back garden. I have just returned from my holidays and was shocked to see the number of bees in there. There are always a few however upon my return I counted at least 45 in the back garden bush and about 55 in the front garden bush. I also noticed that at nighttime..approx 10pm they were sleeping on the heads of the lavender. Today I went out (after a massive downpour) and saw a number of them still on there but sadly wet and dead!. Is it normal for that many bees to be around one bush let alone sleep on them all night?

We also have this, what is the answer?

It's the time of of the season again when bee population is at max and many bees are dying of old age.
Live span of a worker bumblebee is around 2 to 6 weeks, honey bees around 6 to 7 weeks.

Bees do not sleep. What you are noticing are bees that where out to late and didn't get back before dark. Bees use the sun to find their way back to the hive and also to the flowers. The bees you find in your flower heads in the morning are just cold and wait to warm up to go back home.

found this guy sleepin away on a Jopie Bush, then 2 last night seems to be the place to sleep

What a cool picture Kannes!

The male wild "squash bees" sleep in the flowers ... because they are waiting for females to show up.

It's their version of a singles bar.

These bees seem to be resting to me