MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

A male or Drone Bee has no jobs to do, can not look after itself and makes a single but invaluable contribution to the legacy of the hive during its life.

During the Spring and Summer when new Virgin Queens head to the sky to mate, Drones from every nearby colony will be waiting in special ‘Drone Congregation Areas’ . A Queen and a successful Drone mate on the wing, the male inverting and traumatically losing his penis in the process. Death after mating is certain and a Drone Bee will crash to the ground, dead but mission accomplished.

[A Queen may mate with upwards of 20 (and sometimes more) Drones during her early mating flights and will never mate again. The sperm from successive matings will be stored, mixed, in a special gland called the Spermatheca. Sperm so preserved can last for her four or five year life span. As her sperm reserves begin to deplete, a hive will replace their queen and the cycle starts again.]