What makes a drone bee

Multiple nuptial flights and the evolution of extreme polyandry in honeybee queens Apis mellifera L. Anim Behav. Did You Know? Honey Bees Have Hairy Eyes!

Do bees have a ' hive mind '? The Honey Bee Waggle Dance. Why Wasps Are Fab! Drone Bee: The life of the Male Honey Bee - Apis mellifera Updated: 17th February Drones are fertile male honey bees, and they are vital for the survival of honey bee colonies. I've heard it said that drones don't do much because say some : Drones do little around the hive or nest - they don't clean or build honey combs, for example. They help themselves to nectar stores. It is sometimes said that drones spend their time drinking nectar, mating, and lazing around on flowers.

The scientist goes on to say, "This view, however, is not correct. The fact is: Drones perform precisely the role that nature gave them, and as such, they are a vital part of the honey bee colony. Below, you can read about the importance of honey bee drones. A drone honey bee. They mate with the honey bee queen in the air - but only 10 to 20 drones get the opportunity! They die straight after mating! They cannot sting. Adult drones depend on nurse worker honey bees to feed them.

Drones are fatherless It takes 24 days for the drone to develop from being an egg to a fully grown adult bee. The average lifespan of a drone is about 55 days, although there is a report suggesting they can live up to 90 days 3.

Drones are essential to the health and survival of future honey bee colonies. If the temperatures drop too low and the bee cluster contracts, bee brood on the outside edge may chill. The drone brood is the first to die. Why this flippant attitude towards the only male bees in the hive? It is because, they are easily replaced if they are lost. It is easy to make more of them when needed.

We rarely see males bees in the field but beekeepers are often able to see them during hive inspections. They are often mistaken for the queen by beginning beekeepers. This is because most people know that the queen honey bee is a larger bee. Drones are noticeably bigger than female workers. However, they lack the long pointy abdomen of the queen.

When looking for a them, search for a bee with a thicker body and round fuzzy rear-end. One of the most noticeable characteristic of a drone is the large eyes that cover the top of the head. They need great eyesight to watch for queen bees at mating time. A drone honey bee can not sting.

Because they have no role as protector of the colony, they have no need of a stinger. Not having a stinger, honey stomach or pollen baskets like their worker bee sisters, this male honey bee is designed for mating only.

When we see drone brood in early Spring, we know that bee swarm time is coming. Good patterns of drone brood are actually a good sign.

It shows that your bee colony is strong enough to move toward swarming. Drones get off to a different path than their worker bee sisters right from the beginning. Because they develop into a bigger bee, they need a larger brood cell. This gives them more room to grow to full size. Their cell is slightly larger in diameter across but it must be longer too. Once capped, the brood will protrude from the surface of the comb.

This gives capped drone brood the characteristic bullet shape. These are sometimes mistaken for queen cells but they do not hang down from the comb. Worker bees emerge as adults in 21 days from the egg being laid — but a drone bee requires 24 days from egg to maturity. The varroa mite is a major killer of honey bee hives. Mites reproduce inside the capped brood cells of honey bees. Mites prefer drone brood. They have more time to produce baby mites inside the cell of males because the cells are capped longer.

In natural situations, drone brood is located clusters along the edge of the brood nest. The amount of drones in any hive is determined partly by genetics. However, a hive inspection should reveal a majority of worker brood.

Any colony with only drone brood is in big trouble. Seeing only drone cells is a sign of a lost queen bee or one that has run out of semen. The beekeeper will need to intervene in hopes of saving the hive by providing a new queen.

Likewise, seeing a very large percentage of drones in the colony is not cause for panic — however check carefully to ensure the presence of worker brood too.

The number of drones in a colony varies with season, weather conditions and genetics. Seeing over a thousand in a strong colony in Spring is not unusual. Drones are mature and fertile starting at about the age of 10 — 12 days. Near the end of this transformation, the new bee chews through the cap of their cell and enters the adult stage where they will carry out the role of their given caste. Have questions? Give us a call at For beekeeping equipment and educational materials, visit our online store.

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Contact your local branch. An Introduction to Honey Bee Biology Honey bee colonies contain three distinct types, or castes, of individuals. Honey Bee Castes: Queen Bees Queen bees are the largest individuals in most colonies and carry out many important functions in the hive.

Honey Bee Castes: Worker Bees Worker bees are by far the most numerous caste in hives and, as their name implies, carry out all of the work needed to keep the colony fed and healthy. Honey Bee Castes: Drone Bees The only males found in the hive, drones perform only one task during their lifetime: mating with new queens. What Makes a Queen? Developmental Stages of Honey Bees No matter which caste they become, all honey bees progress through the same basic stages of growth.