The circadian rhythm, also known as the circadian clock, mainly refers to the endogenous rhythms of organism's activities. The circadian rhythm of the honey bee is socially regulated and involves many complex behavior regulations. Many studies suggest that the clock of the bee is more similar to that of mammals than to that of Drosophila. Both workers and queens show plasticity in circadian rhythms. For instance, the circadian rhythms of workers are influenced by the labor division and regulated by the direct contact with the brood; the nurse bees tend the brood around the clock with no circadian rhythms in their behavior or clock gene expression. Here, we summarize the advance of the honey bee circadian rhythm studies from the following aspects:the honey bee societies; the molecular and neuronal organizations of the honey bee circadian clock; the methods for studying the rhythms of the honey bee; the plasticity of the honey bee circadian clock; and the sleep of the honey bee.

honey bee  /  circadian rhythm  /  division of labor  /  plasticity