Real-world experiments, such as NASA's 1982 Insect Flight Observations at Zero Gravity mission, sent honeybees aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. The bees were unable to properly control their flight, instead tumbling and floating randomly through the air in their enclosure, as their instincts for orientation rely heavily on gravity cues. Without the pull of gravity, they didn't need to constantly buzz their wings to stay aloft (a behavior tied to countering Earth's gravity), leading to erratic drifting rather than directed flight.
However, the bees showed signs of adaptation within days. By the seventh day of the mission, they stopped attempting to "fly" upward against the enclosure's ceiling and began walking on surfaces or making more controlled movements. They even successfully built honeycomb structures, demonstrating that they could perform essential tasks like pollination and nest-building in microgravity. Later missions, including those with over 3,500 bees launched cumulatively, confirmed this pattern: initial chaos followed by behavioral adjustments, such as relying more on visual cues or tactile surfaces for navigation.
Overall, the bee wouldn't die from the conditions (assuming a sealed, air-filled spaceship with food and water), but its flying would be inefficient at first, resembling aimless bouncing off walls until it acclimates. Similar results have been observed in other insect experiments, like those with leafcutter bees, where flight patterns were studied but still showed disorientation in zero-g.