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What happens to drones after they mate with a queen honeybee?
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Beekeeping
Bees on a honeycomb.
In the context of honeybee biology and animal husbandry, the fate of the male drone is singular: drones die in the act of mating with a queen.12
During a mating flight, a queen western honeybee typically mates with multiple drones in the air to ensure genetic diversity. Because the drone's reproductive organs are designed to be left behind within the queen during this process, the act is fatal to the male.12
Drones that do not mate are not permanent members of the colony. They are reared only when the colony is populous and resources are plentiful; when fall arrives or the colony faces adversity, the worker bees drive the remaining drones from the hive, where they perish.3