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Mating between a single drone and the queen lasts less than 5 seconds, and it is often completed within 1–2 seconds. Mating occurs mid-flight, and 10–40 m (33–131 ft) above ground. Since the queen mates with 5–19 drones, and drones die after mating, each drone must make the most of his single shot.
Nuptial flight is an important phase in the reproduction of most ant, termite, and some bee species. [1] It is also observed in some fly species, such as Rhamphomyia longicauda. During the flight, virgin queens mate with males and then land to start a new colony, or, in the case of honey bees, continue the succession of an existing hived colony.
Worker bees are unable to mate, and the unfertilized eggs produce only drones (males), which can mate only with a queen. Thus, in a relatively short period, all the worker bees die off, and the new drones follow if they have not been able to mate before the collapse of the colony.
The endophallus and cornua portions of the genitalia of male honey bees also autotomize during copulation, and form a mating plug, which must be removed by the genitalia of subsequent drones if they are also to mate with the same queen. [61] The drones die within minutes of mating.
The drones are male bees whose sole purpose is to mate with a queen. They don’t mate with their own queen but travel to drone congregation areas to compete with other drones for the chance of ...
They are usually sterile for most of the colony cycle and do not raise their own young. Unlike queens and workers, which develop from fertilized diploid eggs, drones, or male bees, are born from unfertilized, haploid eggs. Drones leave the colony shortly after reaching adulthood to find a mate outside the nest. Mating is their sole role in the ...
After mating has completed, both males and females will leave and travel to a nearby field patch where they both serve as pollinators, which is consistent with pre-nesting behavior. [6] Male bees will serve as pollinators for multiple weeks and will eventually die off.
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