The reproductive process of the European Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) is an aerial mating system that provides the colony with the genetic foundation for its multi-year survival. Unlike most insects, the queen bee acquires her entire lifetime supply of sperm during a single, brief, concentrated event early in her life.
The Nuptial Flight: Setting the Stage
Mating for honey bees is a public affair that never occurs inside the hive. The process begins with the virgin queen undertaking a “nuptial flight” several days after her emergence from the queen cell. This flight is the only time the queen leaves the colony, and it is undertaken to ensure genetic diversity.
The queen is drawn to specific, stable locations in the air known as Drone Congregation Areas (DCAs). Thousands of drones from many different colonies gather here, often at altitudes of 10 to 40 meters above the ground. Mating flights typically occur during the warmest part of the day, usually between 1:00 PM and 4:00 PM, and only when the weather is calm and sunny. The queen attracts the drones by releasing sex pheromones, leading to a high-speed chase where only the fastest drones reach her.
The Mechanics and Duration of Mating
The amount of time a single bee copulates is extremely short, lasting only one to two seconds. The physical act of mating is a rapid, explosive process. Once a drone successfully mounts the queen in mid-air, he everts his endophallus, the male reproductive organ, into her reproductive tract.
This forceful eversion results in the immediate ejaculation of semen into the queen’s oviducts. The ejaculation causes the drone’s endophallus to rupture and detach from his body. This detached organ remains embedded in the queen, forming a temporary “mating sign” or plug, which must be removed by the next drone.
The queen is highly polyandrous, meaning she mates with multiple partners. During a single mating flight, she mates in rapid succession with an average of 12 to 14 drones, though the range can be anywhere from six to 26 or more. The entire nuptial flight, involving multiple copulations, generally lasts between 10 and 30 minutes, with an average duration around 18 minutes. This concentrated period provides the queen with a diverse genetic pool and sufficient sperm for her entire reproductive lifespan.
The Ultimate Cost: Fate of the Drone
The single act of mating is fatal for the drone. When the drone’s endophallus is left behind in the queen, his abdomen is torn open, leading to his immediate death. The drone falls to the ground shortly after copulation.
The queen stores the collected sperm in a specialized internal organ called the spermatheca. She typically collects between four and seven million sperm cells, which must be kept viable for the two to seven years she will lay eggs. Worker bees are produced from eggs fertilized by this stored sperm, while unfertilized eggs develop into new drones.