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Student 10-Minute Paper

Systematics, Evolution, and Biodiversity

Student Competition

Student

Grad Competition SysEB: Behavior

The effects of artificial light at night (ALAN) on honey bee sleep and stress

Monday, November 6, 2023
9:36 AM – 9:48 AM ET
Location: Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center, Chesapeake 4-5
In-Person Student Competition
Artificial light at night (ALAN) is known to create changes in animal behavior across invertebrates and vertebrates, possibly leading to decreased fitness. Though, ALAN effects have not been studied in European honey bees (Apis mellifera), one of the most agriculturally important pollinators. Honey bee sleep is critical for precise communication signals in foraging behavior throughout the day. Sleep disruptions have been found to impair forager recruitment behavior, which may lower colony fitness. Colonies can be exposed to ALAN in swarm clusters and, in limited cases, when they build nests in the open instead of in cavities. Foragers were placed in cages in constant dark or constant light and observed with infrared cameras. Their sleep maintained circadian rhythmicity for three days but began to shift in the constant light treatment. After 95 h, bees kept in constant light treatment slept significantly less than the bees in the dark treatment. In addition, honey bees in the light treatment experienced more physical disturbances from other bees than the dark treatment bees. Constant light bees also preferred to sleep in the lower half of the experimental cages where the light was nearly half as bright. These results suggest that ALAN can disrupt honey bee sleep.