Who are drones: males in a bee family, what does a bee drone look like

To understand who a drone is and why it appears in a bee colony, it is worth considering the concept of parthenogenesis. Parthenogenesis is one of the forms of reproduction in which females are produced from fertilized cells, and males are produced from unfertilized cells, in our case, drones. During laying, the queen herself decides how many males and how many females there should be in the hive. Unfertilized eggs can also be laid by other females. Such bees are called tinder bees. Unlike the queen bee, which can lay two types of eggs, the tinder bee lays only unfertilized eggs, which produce male bees.

Reasons for swarming

Swarming is a natural reaction of bees to a successful hive.
If we consider this process from the point of view of the reasons that caused it, then it can be reproductive or a consequence of overpopulation of the hive. Reproductive swarming is observed in spring and summer. At this time, the queens are actively laying eggs, which is why drones appear in the hive. This indicates the approach of swarming time.

Before the start of active honey collection, when only a small part of the bees collects pollen and nectar, and there are fewer larvae than nurse bees, the queen can no longer sow eggs, since all the frames are occupied. All this instinctively encourages bees to swarm.

In most cases, swarming begins due to overcrowding of the hive. There may be several reasons for this need:

• lack of space for nectar, which begins to accumulate in the nest;
• too large reserves of nectar or pollen, in this case there is no room for oviposition;
• lack of space for a club;
• passage of too dense a flow of bees through the nest;
• poorly organized ventilation;
• the appearance of a large number of brood due to the nest not being expanded in a timely manner.

Who is he really?

A drone is a temporary member of the bee family. Several hundred, sometimes even thousands of drones appear in early May. It seems to many that they are flying in from somewhere as soon as they sense spring and the presence of pollen in the houses of bees, with which they can fill their plump bellies. In fact, the drone does not fly in, but is born into the bee family. But they are not attached to this family in any way. If they have a need, or another family of bees feels the need for the presence of such individuals, then they can easily leave one family and settle in another.

How to prevent swarming

If you don’t want to regularly catch swarming bees, you need to know how to prevent their swarming. Then you won’t have to wonder how to catch a young colony with a productive queen. So, how to prevent swarming:

• It is recommended to regularly check the size of the colony and, if there are too many insects in the hive, you need to separate them yourself.
• If there is excess brood in a strong colony, layering is done.
• New buildings are being added to large families.
• Old hive queens need to be replaced.
• It is recommended to remove queen cells on honeycombs.

It is recommended to regularly check the number

Interesting! Bees in hives that are directly exposed to the hot sun in late spring and summer are more likely to swarm than those located in the shade.

And, of course, if you don’t want to watch bees swarm, you should buy those breeds that are not prone to this. Although experienced beekeepers note that if taken to extremes, even the most peaceful and patient bees will swarm.

Method of selection of productive queens

The work is painstaking and requires compliance with the conditions, regime and sequence of actions:

• at the end of April, construction frames-baits for ticks are placed in all families;
• from mid-May, productive queens are bred separately, in selected colonies in the presence of worker bees;
• in May, the trap frames are gradually filled with drone brood;
• 1-2 more frames are added to each colony to limit the bees from laying honeycombs for drones;
• mid-May - dividing grids are placed on the detachable bottoms to prevent the swarm from flying out;
• separation grids control the “launching” of drones;
• The queens' broods are released into the wild along with the drones to copulate.

The method is effective - the “stock” of first generation queens is improved. In this case, the formation of families with an unknown gene pool is excluded by itself. In the last days of June, the drones are released again. By this time, it is better to remove the separation bars to avoid swarming. We must not forget about the reproduction of ticks. During this period, drone brood can be cut out from trap frames. The last treatment against Varroa mites is carried out in the fall, using special chemicals.

Drones in a bee colony

Males are lazy and calm. Their entire existence boils down to the fact that they inseminate a female and die. Despite the fact that after completing the main task, the workers actively seek to drive them out of the family, drones are still necessary as part of the family and represent their integral part.

On the one hand, reproduction occurs due to the presence of a queen in the hive, but on the other hand, this process is impossible without the participation of males, which will significantly use up the reserves of honey collected by worker bees.

Role in the family

In families, each individual has its own tasks. What function do drones perform in a bee colony? As stated earlier, they have only one function, but it is very important, because without males there were no fertilized eggs, queens, workers and the family as a whole.

The role of drone bees is to mate. To realize this purpose, insects must be strong and resilient, and that is what drones are. They have to cover a considerable distance before meeting the queen. There is also competition. The most “worthy” contender wins the fight. Usually there is a mass visit to the same places located at least 4 m away. Distance from the apiary is a prerequisite to exclude inbreeding. As a result of crossing with several males, the female receives biomaterial with different heredity.

Drone bees can engage in mating when they are two weeks old. But they participate in this process while flying outside the hive; it is not for nothing that nature has endowed them with excellent vision and the ability to fly quickly. Males make three flights daily, usually starting at lunchtime, but always returning before sunset. Mating with the queen in the air occurs for approximately 23 minutes.

In hives, the drone and the queen ignore each other. But the indifference of drones gives way to activity during the mating season. As soon as the female is about to go on a mating flight, they fly out with her, providing protection from birds. Mating occurs with the participation of 6-8 foreign drones. After the seminal receptacle is filled, the stinging chamber contracts, as a result of which the last drone loses its genital organ and dies.

Drones may get lost on their way back to the hive, but they do not have to live in the same family. drones in the hives helps the bees get ready to work, and as a result of their elimination, the families work worse in the honey collection. The beekeeper should leave some drones intact. Moreover, both ordinary bees and drones maintain the required temperature in the nest. Drone brood can also be used to combat the varroa mite. In summer and spring, such insects are accepted in all families. In any case, every family needs drones in the hive.

So, we can highlight the following functions:

1. Reproduction.
2. Thermoregulation in the nest.
3. Motivating bees to collect honey.

During the cold season, the males remaining in the hive surround the eggs, transferring their warmth to them. During the winter, the drones weaken and die in the spring. The presence of overwintered males indicates that the female needs to be replaced for one of three reasons - the bee has died, or she is barren or old.

Honey bee: general characteristics

The honey bee is a representative of the arthropod class, capable of flight. Lives in a family that is divided into several groups:

• drone;
• worker bee;
• uterus.

The average lifespan of a queen is from 5 to 7 years, males live up to 5 weeks, worker bees up to 8 weeks. Males and females differ in body structure and functions. They grow from 3 to 45 mm in length.

Appearance and wings

The color of the bee is black with yellow spots. The wings are paired with a membrane that helps to stay in the air; the total number of such hooks on the wings ranges from 17 to 28 pieces. The third pair contains containers used to transport pollen. On the abdomen there is a stinging organ containing poison. After being bitten, the insect dies.

A bee can fly at speeds of up to 65 km/h (without load, and with load - 20-30 km/h), while making 200 to 250 wing beats per second. They can fly from the hive from 3 to 4 km. However, bees can work effectively with a bribe from a distance of no more than 2 km.

External structure

The insect's body consists of three parts:

• Head. The head is movable. There are 5 eyes on it. Each pair has its own functions. Complex organs of vision see at long distances, simple ones at near. They determine the clarity of the image. At the bottom of the head there is a bee's jaw, which is divided into lower and upper. Using the upper jaw, the insect chews the wax. The chewing edges of the working individual are different. They are smooth and have a rounded shape. The antennae located on the head act as chemical indicators, with the help of which bees recognize many colors, smells, as well as complex patterns.
• Breast. The thoracic region includes four segments. The largest segment is the second, containing the scutellum. The third is presented in the shape of a narrow ring. The fourth section is involved in the formation of the anterior part of the stalk, connecting the abdominal and thoracic parts. 3 pairs of legs and 2 pairs of wings are attached to the chest. There are also 6 spiracles on the thoracic part. Air enters the insect's body through them.
• Abdomen. The bee's abdomen is also divided into segments connected by chitinous films. Thanks to them, it can change in size. This part of the body contains the digestive system, honey crop, abdominal rings and a pointed organ (sting). After just a few days of life (3-5), the insect’s exocrine glands (wax excretory) begin to function fully.

All parts of the body are connected by elastic membranes.

The exoskeleton performs a protective function from sunlight, evaporation in the air, pathogenic microorganisms and mechanical damage. This is the bee cover to which all organs and muscles are attached. Its components: hypodermis, cuticle (top layer) and basement membrane.

The outer shell is covered with fibers, providing additional protection. Bee feet consist of claws, a tarsus five-segmented, a tibia, a trochanter and a femur.

What determines the quality of offspring?

Male bees hatch from unfertilized eggs. They have only maternal inclinations. The brood will only be able to work if the queen is fertile and the worker bees are efficient and hardworking. If the swarm does not have similar qualities for beekeeping, it is recommended to replace the queen and adjust the number of drones. This is allowed to be done using specialized drone traps, and the brood is killed every 14 days

However, it is important not to overdo it and eliminate all males

Having understood in more detail the nature of male bees and having learned their purpose, we conclude that the losses that the drone brings to the beekeeper can be forgiven. After all, the drone protects the family, in many cases sacrificing its own life. The queen bee, worker bee and drone are all part of one larger hive and should be valued equally.

Drones: basic questions and answers

Often, when studying such a phenomenon in a hive as drones, many people have additional questions. Next we will try to answer the most typical ones.

Why does a drone lose viability after mating?

To mate, the male bee releases the insemination organ, which was previously located inside his body. This process follows the principle of turning it inside out, when the inner walls become outer. At the end of the process, the drone’s genital bulb is also everted. The organ itself has downward-curved horns at the ends. Having immersed it in the sting chamber of the uterus, the male penetrates with its horns into the copulatory pockets, leaving his sperm in them. As soon as the male's genital organ is completely inverted, the drone dies.

Did you know? Drones fly after the queen in a large swarm. The first, having overtaken her, copulates in flight and immediately dies. Then another one catches up to her. So they change until the queen finishes mating. Some drones evert the organ before reaching the uterus and also die on the fly.

Is it possible to determine the breed of bees by looking at a drone?

Certainly. For example, Caucasian mountain bees have black drones, while worker bees have gray drones. Italian breeds have red drones, while Central Russian forest breeds have dark red drones.

What qualities does a drone pass on to its offspring?

We remember that male bees emerge from unfertilized eggs, that is, they have only maternal inclinations. Therefore, the offspring will be strong if the queen is fertile, her bees are efficient, peaceful, collect a lot of nectar and tolerate wintering well. If the family cannot boast of such qualities, it is recommended to change the queen more often, and also regulate the amount of drone brood: use drone traps, cut out the drone brood every two weeks

But here it is important not to overdo it by destroying all the males - this greatly weakens the family

Having figured out what a male bee is called, what its purpose is in the hive and what its life cycle is, you can forgive him for the losses that the beekeeper incurs when feeding male worker bees. After all, they save the bee colony from degeneration, store its genes, and help maintain warmth around the larvae of worker bees. All this speaks of the great importance of drones in the life of the hive.

Fatherlessness

Did you know that the drone is the only member of the bee family that is born without a father? Surprisingly, nature intended it this way. Honey bees, queen bees, and worker bees cannot be born if a representative of the opposite sex does not participate in the conception process. But drones can. They are born from unfertilized eggs. The queen lays them in special “drone” cells, which are much larger in size than ordinary ones. This is how fatherless bees are born in them.

Parthenogenesis is a common phenomenon in nature. Science knows many different species that produce offspring without the use of male seed. But what’s important is that it doesn’t have any negative effect. Drones are born strong, energy-intensive, strong and in all respects full-fledged bee “dads”.

Swarm catching

To catch a swarm as quickly and efficiently as possible, you should begin monitoring the hive at the first signs of swarming. First, the queen emerges from it, moving from the entrance through the entire arrival board. At this stage, it can be caught with a cap and placed in a cage, which is placed in a swarm - a special trap. It is hung in the place where there is the greatest concentration of bees. The queen attracts them with her smell, so all the insects gradually gather in one place.

It is much more difficult to catch a swarm when the queen could not be caught immediately. If a swarm settles on a tree or under a roof, then you need to wait until all the insects have gathered in one place, bring a swarm under them and sharply shake them into it.

The task becomes more difficult when the swarm has gathered in a place where it is impossible to shake it off. In this case, it is necessary to install a swarm nearby and transfer the bees there manually. For this, it is good to use a large spoon or a wooden ladle. The main thing is to move the queen to the swarm, then the rest of the bees will gradually move to her.

For every kilogram of bees you need to install 2 frames with foundation. In the center of the nest you need to place a ramp with open brood, which is taken from a healthy colony. This avoids the bees from flying off.

How to overpower captured bees from a swarm to a hive is shown in this video:

If you don’t have a trap at hand, and swarming has begun, then you can get by with an ordinary box. It is enough to put 2 frames with dry food in it and provide an attractive smell for bees. To do this, you can use the drug Apiroy.

You can catch bees without using a trap. To do this, you need to use the lower body of the hive. It is installed approximately 50 m from the apiary. 8 frames with dried food are installed inside and rubbed with raw materials that attract the smell of bees. This method is attractive because of its simplicity and the absence of the need for further relocation of captured bees.

Birth of drones

The method of reproduction by which all bees are born is called parthenogenesis. It lies in the fact that any egg laid by the uterus gives rise to the development of an adult. These can be either fertilized eggs, from which workers or queens will hatch, or unfertilized ones, from which only drones will be born.

Hatching of drones in bee colonies begins approximately in May, continues throughout the summer, and ends after the main breeding. The queen begins laying drone eggs when there is a new brood of worker bees in the hive. She selects the large cells at the bottom of the combs. It takes 3 days from egg to larva. The brood is raised by workers.

drone brood

First, the larvae feed on milk, then they are transferred to coarser food, a mixture of honey and pollen. On the 6th day, the cells are closed with special convex (humpbacked) lids, which is a distinctive feature of drone brood. On the 15th day after this event, fully formed drones appear. The full development cycle of males is 24 days.

Males begin to fly out of the nest 6-8 days after birth; they are ready for mating flights after 10-14 days. Adults have an excellent appetite. During flights, insects spend a lot of energy, which they return to the hive to replenish and rest, but not always to their own. The male part of the bee colony is not attached to the house and can leave it for a more comfortable habitat.

In the summer, the guards of any hive freely allow all males into it, and there they are given a warm welcome. Drones are especially welcome in families with young queens and queenless ones.

An unenviable lot

It would seem that you live, be “friends” with the queens, eat nectar and honey all day long. But lazy people don’t enjoy such a life for long. A drone is a member of the bee colony that only lives for about two months. Its main task is to fertilize the uterus. The copulatory process, as a rule, occurs far from the native hive. The queen bee and the drone fly away from the apiary. Some males will die immediately after this act, since their reproductive organ is torn off and remains in the female’s genitals. It is mainly “lost” by those who mated with the main queen. Experienced beekeepers know that if a bee flying past has a “white trail,” it means that this representative of the bee family has “flyed around.”

That part of the drones that did not lose an important organ “on the battlefield” returns to the hive. These are those who communicated with bees of a lower rank. However, fate is no longer so favorable to them. As soon as there is no longer a need for drones, they are gradually forced out of the hive. First, they are driven to the colder parts of the house, then they are deprived of food (pushed away from food) and after that - already hungry, weak and unnecessary - they are thrown out of the hive onto the ground.

Weak individuals die immediately, and those who are stronger and are still able to rise fly to look for another family. But if there is a queen in the bee family, then she will no longer take a burden for the winter. This is where the life of the drone ends. Even beekeepers determine the quality of a bee colony by the presence of such individuals in the hive at the end of autumn. If they are not there or there are a lot of dead insects lying at the arrival board, then the family is safe.

Content

1. Basic instinct or where drones come from
2. Description of drones and their “privileges”
3. How useful and necessary are drones in honey production?
4. Drones as swarming prevention and resistance to Varroa mites
5. From the experience of owners of personal amateur apiaries
6. Method of selection of productive queens
7. Medicinal properties of drones

A hard-working, industrious person is often called a worker bee, but a quitter, a parasite and a “freeloader” are given the honorary title of a drone. Today we will talk about the functional responsibilities, benefits (as paradoxical as it sounds), the “social” role of the drone, not in a metaphorical, figurative sense, but in a literal sense, as a beneficial insect. So, for what purpose does a bee colony raise and maintain a male drone, is it necessary to disrupt the natural course of life of bees, and how do beekeepers feel about this, read on.

Features of the drone life cycle

Male bees hatch from queen eggs that have not been fertilized.
This occurs 23 weeks after egg laying. A couple of days before the appearance of the first workers and eight before the young queen. Eggs with male pupae are located along the entire perimeter of the honeycomb. On average, a family contains up to 400 drones. But in rare cases their number can exceed a thousand. In the first days of May, the drone is released from its cell and for about two more weeks the bees actively look after it, giving time for the body to quickly form. From about the first week of life, the drone begins to briefly leave the nest to get acquainted with the outside world. After 14 days, he flies out for the first time to impregnate the queen.

Sometimes a male must fight another male for the opportunity to pass on his genes. As a result of such a fight, the weak ones are eliminated and only the drone with the best genes remains.

For complete fertilization of the queen, 5-7 drones are needed. To complete their task, all drones live in one hive. But when leaving their native nest, they can count on guaranteed help from bees from other nests. Unfamiliar drones are not kicked out, but are always fed. Therefore, he may turn out to be a potential partner for their queen.

The life of a drone depends on several factors:

1. Is there a young queen in the family?
2. How fertile she is.
3. General condition of the hive.
4. Weather.

Drone lifespan

Basically, a male bee lives no longer than 2 months.
The drones in the hive are the most voracious members of the family. Therefore, as soon as the supply of nutritious nectar is reduced, workers destroy cells with drones that have not yet hatched. And mature males are limited in food. If the situation does not improve after a couple of days, the weakened drone is forced out of the hive. Since the male bee cannot take care of himself and look for food on his own, this spells the end for the insect. But if the old queen has stopped laying eggs or the family has completely lost her, the drones are left in any case because they become the only keepers of the genetic material. This is the only chance for the drones to avoid expulsion. Also, if the male was kicked out, and he quickly found a new nest without a fertile queen, they will be happy to leave him and take care of him.

Freeloaders or hard workers?

There are several opinions regarding the importance of drones in the bee colony. Some consider them exclusively parasites and lazy people, while others say that they are important members of the family, without whom one simply cannot do. Let's try to make a little comparative description and understand what the drone has more: pros or cons.

• The drone is the “father” of all bees. Unfortunately, that's all.

• Unable to guard the hive.
• Doesn't know how to feed larvae.
• Does not take any part in collecting pollen, does not know how to “make” honey and wax.
• He eats a lot.

The result, as you can see, is that the drone has more disadvantages. However, in defense of drones, the following can be said:

• If the drone had not fertilized the queen, then we would not have met a single bee in this world. It’s even a pity for the “bee fathers”, because they often fold their heads after fulfilling their “sacred” duty.
• They are not to blame for anything. It was nature that did not endow them with tools that would help protect and feed their family. They might be happy to join in with household chores, but they simply cannot do so due to the lack of important “tools.”
• These are just temporary members of the family. What happens if you combine their excellent appetite and permanent residence in the hive all year round? Yes, they will leave the family without supplies in a month. And by their “absence” from the hive in winter, they significantly save food.

What role does the drone play in the bee family, functions and purpose

The question logically arises: why are drones needed in a hive if they do not produce anything, are unable to take care of themselves, and at the same time absorb more of those individuals that are beneficial? You must understand that these insects carry the genetic material of the entire genus, they are the only ones who can fertilize the uterus.

Did you know? The drones, which are the sons of the queen, contain an exact copy of her genome. Each male has 16 chromosomes, while the queen has 32. This discrepancy arises because the drone comes from an unfertilized egg, that is, bees do not have male heredity.

The drone bee is ready to mate after two weeks from the time it emerges from the comb.

Another function of the drone is to maintain thermoregulation in the nest. When cold weather sets in and the drones have not been driven out of the hive, they cluster around the eggs, warming them with their warmth.

Did you know? The number of drones remaining in the fall indicates the productivity of the queen. The more there are, the lower the performance. This is a signal that appropriate measures must be taken.

If a male bee remains in the hive for the winter, it will still not live long in the spring. It does not survive the cold well, weakens and dies within a month after the hive is exposed. And the presence of a hibernating drone indicates that the queen is old and infertile, or she has died altogether.

Lifespan

Drones live no more than two months. As summer comes to an end, the number of flowering plants decreases and nectar collection drops sharply. Therefore, the bees begin to get rid of “extra mouths.” They do not give the drones food and gradually push them towards the entrance, and then completely expel them from the hive.

As a result, insects die of starvation because they cannot obtain food. Drones remain in the hive for the winter only if the queen is old or absent, which indicates a dysfunctional family.

Why and how artificial swarming is carried out

Sometimes beekeepers practice artificial swarming of bees. What is it and why do it? Artificial swarming is the selection of part of the bees from the main colony. This is done to increase the number of bee colonies in the apiary. This procedure is carried out only when the bees begin to instinctively swarm. If artificial swarming is carried out at this time, then the bees will no longer need to carry it out on their own, and they will be able to maintain their working condition.

There are many methods of artificial swarming.

Kostylev's method

In the evening, when the bees arrive at the hive, you need to place the colony on the boards near the hive. Queen cells from the hive are transferred to a small colony that does not plan to swarm. The hive contains food and printed frames. Brood from another hive is placed in this one, foundation is added. Now you can carry the boards with bees back to the hive. When they get to their home, there will be no queen cell or honey, so they will begin to raise larvae and fly around as before.

Taranov method

Artificial swarming using the Taranov method

This option is carried out in several stages. First of all, the house with the insects is treated with smoke so that they collect honey in their goiters. A board is placed in front of the entrance where all the bees and the queen are shaken off. The queen cells are removed from the hive and then the bees can be released back. The last stage is to find work for the bees so that they do not make new queen cells.

Simmins method

This method is suitable for a hive with 2 buildings. The queen bees are taken out and shaken in front of the lower compartment. Dry and foundation are installed in the lower compartment. The bodies are separated by hive bars, and the brood is placed in the upper compartment. When the bees return to their home, they will go to the brood and take care of it. Other bees will begin to form foundations.

Demari method

Designed to enlarge the nest during egg laying. It's not difficult to do this. Only one frame with open brood and the queen of the hive is left at the bottom of the house, and all the rest are moved to the top and closed. Waxed frames are placed in their place.

Important! You cannot artificially swarm bees right before the main honey harvest begins, otherwise you may be left without honey at all. This procedure is done about a month before and only with strong families.. https://www.youtube.com/embed/Ux4XNmmlwuk

Dernov method

When the queen cell is blocked, this method of stopping swarming is used. Bees that fly out and return are placed in an empty nest, and the queen cells in the old one are removed. The new nest is turned towards the old one and they wait for the bees to fly to their queen. The second way is to remove the queen and all the queen cells except one, from which the new queen of the hive will emerge.

Vitnitsky method

This option is elementary and boils down to the fact that insects need to be loaded with work. The hive is divided into 2 parts by empty frames and the bees begin to build foundations, which is why they do not swarm.

Artificial swarming allows you to expand the apiary and increase the number of working families, but it must be done correctly. The beekeeper must carefully observe the bees. He must know the signs of bee swarming and see them, so as not to miss and prevent the process or carry out artificial swarming himself.

The end of the drones

Drones live short lives, only 1.5 - 3 months. Although the maximum possible life expectancy for them, like winter bees, is 6 months. With the end of the bribe, when the family stops raising queens, the urgent need for a male presence in the hive disappears. There are fewer free food reserves in nature, and when preparing for winter, bees will no longer waste food in vain. Males, no longer needed by the colony, will die from hunger and cold. First they will be denied food, then they will be put out on the street. The most persistent ones who try to return back to the warm hive will be dealt with rather harshly by the guards. The rest will fly away in an attempt to find a troubled family left without a fertilizing uterus and ready to accept them.

Description and life cycle

Bumblebees and drone bees are somewhat similar in appearance, which is why they are often confused. Due to the similarity of the names, drones are also confused with tinder fungi. In fact, tinder bees are females that are not capable of becoming fully developed queens. They appear when there is no queen in the bee family, or she has stopped bearing fruit. Polypores are capable of laying eggs, but they have no value. This is why polypores are so dangerous for beekeeping.

The drone is larger in size than all members of the bee family except the queen. The length of its body is about 16 mm, and its weight is 260 g. It has well-developed wings and sensory organs. The male bee has a short proboscis, which is why he is unable to collect nectar. He is completely unadapted to life and depends on worker bees. These kind of bumblebees cannot even feed themselves. It does not have a sting or wax glands to build honeycombs.

Drones appear in a bee colony in the summer, from May to August. They fly out of the hive after lunch and return back after sunset. The life cycle of a male bee is 2-3 months. It is raised by worker bees. In total, about 400 males are bred, but sometimes up to 2 thousand are required. The fact is that to fertilize the uterus, not 1, but 8-10 drones are needed. They engage in battle among themselves and thereby eliminate weak individuals. As a result, the uterus receives excellent genetic material.

The drone is larger in size than all members of the bee family except the queen.

The queen lays drone eggs after the worker bees hatch. They are hatched into large cells called drone colonies. The larvae appear after 3 days. Worker bees feed them with pollen, honey and jelly. It takes an average of a week for the larvae to develop, after which the bees cover the cells with peculiar lids. The larvae first turn into pupae, and after 2 weeks - into drones. The whole process takes no more than 24 days.

During the first 10 days after leaving the honeycomb, the drone feeds intensively and gains strength for subsequent mating. A week after birth, he flies out of the hive to familiarize himself with his environment. Well, after about 3 weeks the male is ready to fulfill his duties and flies out in search of the queen.

The bee drone is endowed with excellent vision and sense of smell, which allows it to find a female in the air. And large wings help to catch up with her. Interestingly, during their entire short life, these bumblebees eat more honey than a worker bee. Beekeepers have calculated that 1 kg of these voracious sloths can eat up to 20 kg of honey over their entire life cycle. The male bee mainly lives in the family where he was bred. But it happens that he flies into other hives. However, he is not kicked out of there, but, on the contrary, accepted into the family.

Habits

Males are distinguished by good eyesight, have a keen sense of smell and are able to reach high speeds in flight, possessing high aerodynamic abilities. They fly out of the hive about 3 times a day, mainly in the daytime, less often in the evening. They can stay in flight for up to half an hour, while they emit a characteristic bass sound and land heavily and loudly.

Over the entire life cycle, a drone eats 3-4 times more food than a simple worker, therefore, at the end of the honey bribe, the bees drive the males out of the hive and destroy the drone brood in order to preserve food supplies.

The lifespan of these individuals is from May to August. In rare cases, males survive the winter, after which, due to weakness and cold weather, they also do not live long and soon die.