The drone is the male bee

These male insects develop from eggs that are not fertilized. Eggs are laid by the uterus, sometimes - with its loss - by working bees. You can say that the drone is a male bee. And it occupies an important and necessary place in the strict hierarchy and "social life" of insects.

Bee family

The bee is a purely social being, and can not live outside the family. The community of bees consists mainly of individuals of the female sex who have lost the opportunity to continue the genus and have become working bees. In the summer of such insects in each hive there are about 80 thousand, and in winter less - up to 25 thousand. The family includes one uterus, capable of reproducing the offspring and laying eggs, and several hundred drones that perform an inseminating and sometimes protective role. Neither the queen, nor drones, nor worker bees are, in the opinion of scientists, "masters" of this community. The function of leadership is carried out by the instinct that controls life activity: everyone strictly and clearly fulfills his duties, being, as it were, an ideal biological robot.

Uterus

This is the basis, around it is a bee family. Uterus differs from others in appearance: three times heavier and more than twice as long as an ordinary bee. The young uterus only once flies out of the hive and is fertilized during its flight by several drones. After which she returns back to the hive and lives there for 5-6 years. The old fruitful female either flies with a part of the bees (swarm), or the young one is killed.

The uterus constantly lays eggs. In a day - up to two thousand (weight exceeds its weight), for a season - up to two hundred thousand! Around her, ten bees are constantly on duty, feeding nourishing milk and taking care of her.

Working bees

They are formed from fertilized eggs on the 21st day. Working bee after hatching from a sealed cell first takes care of the larvae and feeds them, builds honeycombs, makes the first sorties, orienting in the location. Also carries a guard service and takes nectar from bees-gatherers. At the age of more than 21 days, worker bees come out of the hive and collect pollen and nectar for the rest of their lives. And they live in the summer - up to three months, and in the winter - more than six months. Scientists have unraveled the cause of death of these hardworking insects - wear of wings. Once the wings wear out from constant flights, having lost the ability to fly, the insect leaves the hive and dies. In the ratio of "drone-womb - working bee" is the most numerous sector. Working bees perform almost all the numerous functions in the bee family, except for a few.

Drones bees

Let's take a closer look at what their functions are in the society of bees. As already mentioned, the drone is a male bee. Drones hatch from unfertilized eggs laid in special cells (approximately on the 24th day). This phenomenon - reproduction without the participation of a male cell - has received in science the name parthenogenesis. It allows any female to leave offspring without the participation of a male. Also regulates the sex ratio: from fertilized eggs, females appear, from unfertilized males or drones (in bees).

Fertilization

A trout is a full-fledged successor to a bee-seed, since, in the final analysis, no individual can be born without its seed. In every bee family, there are not so many - several hundred. Sexually mature male is approximately on the tenth day of its existence. He is noted for his strength, excellent vision, high aerodynamic abilities. He is also able to determine the location of the female by smell. And yet - the drone eats a lot, and the food brought by the worker's bees disappears instantly.

How does it look?

In the afternoon and the pre-flight time, one can observe the flying of drones. They fly much faster than ordinary bees, and land heavily. The drone does not have a sting. The proboscis is short, it can not itself provide sufficient food itself. He has no brushes to collect pollen. In size, it is larger than a regular bee, and its body has a rectangular shape. Eyes are just huge. They help to perform the basic function of the drone - to track the uterus in flight and to mate with it. Fertilizing the female, the drone, as a rule, soon dies. According to many scientists, the drone is a kind of sperm bank, a genetic material for the continuation of the bee colony.

What else does the drone do?

The male does not live long - up to two months. Sometimes there are cases when it remains for wintering, but in the spring it still dies. In the family of bees, he is not too overloaded with work. To himself (and other bees) he does not get food. But it plays a role not only as a seed distributor. Another function - protection from cold. When frosts occur, these insects protect the brood with a live blanket, located at the entrance to the hive. So they protect the laid eggs from the destruction by cold. Such self-sacrifice is justified by nature: all the drones will soon have to perish. As a rule, in the autumn bees expel the remaining drones from the hive, and they die of hunger and cold.