Drones carry the colony's reproductive function. They do no work inside the hive and are often dismissed for that reason; yet they are decisive for the colony's future.

How a drone is formed

A drone comes from an unfertilised egg. This means a drone has no father, only a mother.

It also means the drone carries the queen's genetics directly — an important detail for breeding.

Appearance

• Larger and stockier than a worker
• Very large eyes that meet on top of the head
• A blunt abdomen with a rounded tip
• No sting
• No pollen basket and no wax glands
• A deeper, louder sound

Having no sting, a drone can be handled; he can be examined safely during an inspection.

Life cycle

The drone takes the longest to develop of the three castes. This explains why Varroa prefers drone brood: because the cell stays sealed longer, the mite can raise more offspring.

After emerging he takes a few days to mature, then joins the mating flights.

Mating

Drones gather in particular congregation areas, and queens fly to them. Mating takes place in the air.

A drone that mates dies. The queen mates with many drones and uses the sperm for the rest of her life.

Why they matter

Half the quality of a queen comes from the drones. Multiple mating gives the colony genetic diversity, which directly increases resistance to disease.

A beekeeper who breeds must plan not only the queen line but the drone source. Leaving drone comb in selected colonies is the simplest way of doing so.

End of season

When the flow ends and winter approaches the workers stop feeding the drones and drive them from the hive.

This apparently harsh behaviour is the colony's strategy for protecting its winter stores. Finding drones in the hive in autumn, on the other hand, may be a sign of queenlessness.

Drone brood and Varroa

A drone frame gives the bees space for drone brood. When it is capped it is cut out and removed, taking the mites with it before they emerge.

If it is not cut in time the mites emerge and the method backfires.