The Sleeping Habits of Pests

We spend so much time thinking of ways to prevent pests from ruining our days and invading our homes that it is easy to forget that even pests need some time to rest. They are living beings that need food, water, and sleep (except for termites) just like us! But do they really go to sleep in their comfortable nests or hives? Let’s dive into the dreamy world of pest resting times and how they affect the rest of their lives, which is oddly similar to how we need sleep to avoid being zombies the next day at work or school.

Can Pests Even Sleep?

This question may have crossed your mind when you read the title. It is certainly a valid inquiry, since it seems like pests are always busy thinking of new ways to invade a place that does not belong to them. To tell the truth, scientists are still working on finding ways to study the sleeping and resting patterns of insects in particular. It’s difficult to study the brain activity of tiny critters that are usually studied under microscopes or other instruments. But they have been able to come to some conclusions about the resting of insects that may help us understand their methods better. 

For one, rest of any kind is just as important to pests as it is to us. Think about a time when you only got a few hours of sleep or even pulled an all-nighter (remember those essays for school?). You likely felt foggy, exhausted, and a little delirious the next day. Pests are the same way when they cannot get the rest they need! Whether it’s actual sleep or just resting, pests need time to be inactive in order to perform at their best. We’ll get into the specifics later, but the fact that they also have circadian rhythms is enough to tell us that pests are no different than any other creature. 

Also, pests only rest where they believe they are safe. They may not have comfortable beds or blankets like us, but they do still require the basic necessity of feeling safe enough to lay down their defenses for the most part. When pests are resting, they will be super still and unresponsive. They can certainly come out of it if the disturbance is large enough, but it will not be easy depending on the state of the rest. If it takes a noticeable amount of time for the pest to respond to any kind of disturbance, it is almost certainly actual sleep. 

Good Night, Sleep Tight

With all of this talk about sleeping versus resting, let’s talk about the differences. Sleeping pests are like us when we sleep: difficult to disturb, steady breathing, less movements, and lower body temperature. Although there are some pests that sleep specifically, it does not seem that they experience the REM stage. This is when we have dreams and are in the deepest phase of the sleep cycle. Unfortunately, this means that the fun scenarios of bees dreaming about huge flowers or ants dreaming of delicious picnics are likely not reality. Nevertheless, the pests that do seem to sleep have interesting habits and methods to ensure they get the rest that they require to continue living their pesky lives.

Honey Bees

Honey bees are one of the few pests that we know for certain require full sleep to function. Their circadian rhythm is similar to our natural one, which is why they are diurnal pests, or active during the day. All of their hard work of gathering pollen and nectar needs to be done during the day, so they sleep at night with the rest of us daytime-beings. Honey bees will lower their body temperature and muscle tone to sleep, causing them to droop with gravity. Scientists have found that the amount of sleep directly affects a honeybee’s performance the next day. If the honeybee did not get nearly enough sleep, it will not be able to perform its famous “waggle dance” that honeybees use to communicate with one another. Considering this is what they use to get locations of new hives and nectar sources, this is a very important task!

Fruit Flies

Considering how small fruit flies are, it may be surprising to learn that it has also been confirmed that they require sleep to function. There have been lab studies all about how fruit flies function with their normal amount of sleep and without. The pests actually performed their normal tasks worse without sleep, much like us! Fruit flies typically sleep for about 3 hours in their home of overripe fruit or fermented food items, then spend the rest of their day doing their normal pesky tasks. 3 hours may seem like a long nap to us, but to a fruit fly who only lives for up to 2 weeks, this is a long time to spend doing nothing but sleeping.  

Roaches

In addition to being one of the worst pests on planet Earth, roaches also require sleep to function normally. These nocturnal pests are naturally adept at finding the best hiding spots in general, so they have no problem finding the best place to sleep without the danger of being found. Roaches may not sleep the entire day away, but we do know one method they use while asleep. They fold down their long antennae to lay against their sides, which serves a purpose beyond just making them look like a cartoon insect. It protects their sensory organs (or cerci) that help the roaches detect movement around them. With the importance of these organs and their antennae in smelling everything, it makes sense that roaches would want to protect them while they drift off to sleep.

Mantids

Praying mantises also seem to actually sleep, and the best piece of evidence is how they look when we believe them to be in a deep slumber. The normally alert pests will droop down and basically slump over, similar to what a person who falls asleep sitting up will do. Since they don’t have a specific nest or home to return to, they will typically sleep somewhere that they can blend in with their surroundings to remain hidden. It is unclear if they still perform their titular act of sitting with their arms up while asleep, but considering it would be a great defense tactic if something were to come up and awaken the mantid, we wouldn’t put it past the predatory pest.

Mice

It is no surprise that mice (and rats) are known to sleep, especially since people who own them as pets can testify to it. They stay in their cozy nests to sleep mainly during the day, as these rodents are primarily nocturnal. Mice avoid bright lights as much as possible, and they avoid this issue during their daytime sleeping by nesting in the darkest parts of the shelter. They are active when there is less danger around and sleep during the “riskier” times of the day when they could be caught. Since mice have very poor eyesight, they need to take all the precautions they can, especially when it comes to how they sleep.

The Art of Torpor

The phrase “resting my eyes” has never been more appropriate than for this group of pests. They do not full-on sleep, instead opting for a time of resting where they essentially do everything that sleeping involves except for the actual sleeping. They still need rest for communication and brain function, but do not need to fully sleep every day. This long state of rest is called torpor. Insects and critters that participate in torpor still lower their metabolism, drop their body temperature, and are mostly unresponsive to disturbances, but they are not deeply sleeping. Think of it as a form of hibernation. It is a protective state that helps the pest adapt to its surroundings and retain its proper amount of brain function needed to perform at its best. Some insects and critters do torpor when they move to a new place, either to overwinter or just to relocate. It helps them to adapt to that location’s weather, temperature, and general climate. But torpor does not have to be a major event, as it can just be a few hours of rest before continuing their busy day.

Ants

Ants could technically be sleeping while they are taking their periods of rest, but it does not seem that they are completely oblivious to the sounds and disturbances of the world around them. The ants who rest do so inside the nest for maximum protection, as it is typically underground and more or less hidden. They even have added protection through their massive numbers, as sleeping in shifts is not just a tactic for espionage-based television shows. Some of the colony’s worker ants will rest inside the nest while other workers stand guard outside, until they switch later to ensure that every worker is at peak performance. 

Bed Bugs

That’s right: the infamous bedroom pests don’t even fully sleep every day! They are also expert hiders, which gives them plenty of time to rest in between meals. Bed bugs can live in any kind of fabric- or paper-based material with access to warm blood, but they favor the mattress since it consistently leaves them in range of their main diet. They hide in the small spots of mattresses that prevent us from seeing dozens of tiny bugs in our bed (when they’re successful). Bed bugs are known to feed at any time of day, which makes sense considering they take periods of rest rather than deep sleep. The exception to this is if they have not eaten for a long time, in which case they will go into a period of hibernation or sleep to conserve energy.

Butterflies

Technically, we do not know for sure if butterflies are sleeping or resting when they are in the position. But it seems that it is not a time of deep sleep with how easily they can be “woken up” from it. They will hang upside down during this time, leaving their beautiful wings to be the only markers of their presence. Butterflies are diurnal insects, so their time of rest is either when it is dark outside or quite cloudy. With this method, they are ready to immediately start their day with a hearty breakfast of nectar from the flowers they rested underneath.

Ladybugs

Similar to the butterfly, it is unclear whether the ladybug is just resting or fully sleeping. They use the nighttime as their resting period, during which all of their appendages are tucked under their hard exterior. They will sleep on leaves and around plants to be near their food source constantly. Since there are plenty of nighttime insect-predators looking for sleeping insects following their circadian rhythm, it seems strange that ladybugs would not be picked off while resting. Luckily for them, their famous bright coloring looks poisonous to any hungry enemies, so the ladybug can peacefully rest attached to their favorite foods.

Sweet Dreams are Made of Reliable Pest Control

Whether the pests you have problems with need sleep, torpor, or neither, it is definitely frustrating when any of them decide to invade your home or business. Besides just being creepy-looking, having pests can present serious health threats, food contamination, ruined clothing or items, and dirty surfaces. Our pest control technicians are prepared for any kind of pest problem, and will thoroughly inspect the area to get to the bottom of the issue. Contact us to learn more about how our eco-friendly treatments can help you sleep tight and not let the bed bugs…well, you know how the saying goes.

Citations

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