Honey bee queens are central to the survival of their colonies. A queen’s primary function is to reproduce, laying eggs that become the next generation of worker bees, drones, and future queens. Her ability to fulfill this role hinges on a unique event early in her life: the mating flight. This ritual ensures the colony receives the genetic diversity needed to thrive.
The Mating Flight
A virgin queen embarks on her mating flight, often called a nuptial flight, typically within a week of emerging from her queen cell. This is usually the only time she will leave the hive for mating, except during swarming. The queen flies to specific locations known as Drone Congregation Areas (DCAs), where thousands of drones from various colonies gather. These areas can be up to 700 meters high and several kilometers away from her hive.
The flight involves drones attempting to catch and mate with the queen in mid-air. The queen emits a strong pheromone to attract drones from up to a kilometer away. Mating occurs rapidly, with drones mounting the queen and ejaculating semen into her reproductive tract. After each successful copulation, the drone’s reproductive organ is ripped from his body, resulting in his death.
Why Many Drones
A queen bee mates with multiple drones during her mating flights. The number of drones she mates with can range from 1 to over 40, with an average often cited between 10 and 20. This polyandry, or mating with many males, is important for the colony’s long-term health and survival.
The reason for multiple matings is to gather enough genetic material for the queen’s entire egg-laying life. Each drone contributes unique genetic information, as all sperm from one drone are identical. By mating with many drones, the queen ensures significant genetic diversity within her offspring, creating a more robust and resilient colony. This diversity helps the colony resist diseases and adapt to changing environmental conditions.
The Queen’s Sperm Bank
The queen possesses a specialized internal organ, the spermatheca, to store genetic material. This organ serves as a sperm bank, where she stores the sperm received from all her mating partners. The spermatheca keeps sperm viable for several years, often for her entire reproductive lifespan.
As the queen lays eggs, she can release sperm from her spermatheca to fertilize each egg. She controls the sex of her offspring; fertilized eggs develop into female worker bees or new queens, while unfertilized eggs become male drones. Stored sperm from various drones ensures a continuous supply of diverse offspring. This diversity results in a colony composed of “half-sisters” who share the same mother but different fathers, contributing to the colony’s overall strength and efficiency.
A Queen’s Post-Mating Life
Following her successful mating flights, the queen bee’s life undergoes a significant change. She rarely leaves the hive again, except during swarming. Her focus becomes egg-laying, a process that can see her deposit up to 2,000 eggs per day during peak seasons.
The queen’s ability to continuously lay fertilized eggs, populating the colony, directly depends on the sperm stored in her spermatheca. Worker bees attend to her needs, feeding her and distributing her pheromones. This ensures colony cohesion and signals her reproductive vitality, ensuring colony success.