A honey bee colony consists of a single queen, thousands of female worker bees, and several hundred male bees, known as drones. The presence and activities of these drones often spark curiosity regarding their specific purpose within the hive and whether they venture outside it.
The Role of Male Bees
Male honey bees, or drones, possess distinct characteristics that set them apart from the queen and worker bees. Drones are larger and broader than worker bees, with significantly larger eyes. Unlike female worker bees, drones lack a stinger and cannot defend the hive.
Drones do not participate in typical hive maintenance tasks such as gathering nectar or pollen, constructing comb, or caring for the brood. Their mouthparts are smaller, making them unable to forage for food, and they are entirely dependent on worker bees for nourishment. The primary role of a drone is to mate with a virgin queen from another colony, thereby ensuring genetic diversity within the honey bee population.
Why and When Drones Leave the Hive
Drones leave the hive, primarily for mating flights. These flights are essential for reproduction, as mating never occurs inside the hive. Drones are sexually mature around two to three weeks of age and begin to leave the colony daily to search for queens.
Mating flights typically occur on warm, sunny afternoons, often between 1 PM and 5 PM local time, with optimal temperatures around 18°C (64°F) or higher. Drones fly to specific locations known as “drone congregation areas” (DCAs), which are aerial regions where drones from various colonies gather. These areas are usually located 10 to 40 meters (33 to 131 feet) above ground and can measure 30 to 200 meters (100 to 650 feet) across. DCAs are stable year after year, even in the absence of queens, and are believed to be influenced by geographical features or pheromones that attract drones. If unsuccessful, a flight typically lasts about 10 to 40 minutes, after which they return to their hive to rest and refuel.
The Fate of Drones
A drone’s life is often short and dictated by its reproductive purpose. If a drone successfully mates with a queen, the act of mating is fatal. During copulation, the drone’s endophallus, its reproductive organ, ruptures and is torn from its body, leading to immediate death. This occurs mid-flight, often within seconds.
For drones that do not mate, their fate is also determined by the colony’s needs, particularly as seasons change. As autumn approaches and resources become scarcer, worker bees expel drones from the hive. Drones consume significant honey, and since they do not contribute to hive tasks, they become a burden on the colony’s limited winter food stores. The worker bees will stop feeding them and force them out, leaving them unable to survive. These evicted drones quickly perish from starvation or exposure, ensuring the colony conserves resources for its survival for winter survival.