May 8, 2025
Science

Why do male bees die after mating?

  • April 23, 2024
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without needles, Male bees, which cannot fulfill the duties of worker bees and exist only to mate with the queen bee, actually have a tragic fate when it

without needles, Male bees, which cannot fulfill the duties of worker bees and exist only to mate with the queen bee, actually have a tragic fate when it comes to their role in reproduction.

Behind this fatal outcome Why is it in their biology? lies.

Male bees (drones) make up only a small part of the bee colony.

Drones, the only drone species that the queen mates with, play a crucial role in ensuring genetic diversity and maintaining the health of the colony. His life is rather short and single-minded. They are born in spring and summer, and their main task is just to create a new one mating with the queen bee.

The mating takes place in the air and is quite dramatic.

Drones and queen bees The mating time is less than 5 seconds. It is usually completed within 1-2 seconds. This mating, which takes place in mid-flight, 10-40 m above the ground, resembles a hunting return in which the drones follow the queen and attempt to merge with her in the air.

The successfully mating drone is extremely sensitive in transferring its genetic material. a significant physical change also lives.

The main reason behind the death of drones is their reproductive anatomy.

When a male bee mates, he is essentially performing his final act. drone, connect with the queen and uses the contraction of its abdominal muscles to invert its endophallus and place it firmly within the queen’s reproductive tract.

This intense process ends with the drone’s explosive ejaculation, causing the tip of its endophallus to explode. to break into the queen why is this happening. This is a serious injury, rupture of the abdomen and the real reason why he dies shortly after mating.

There are also battles and tactics for the queen bee.

Let’s also say that there is serious competition during the mating phase. So drones compete with each other to die. Bees form a drone ball around the queen using their jaws and legs they fight. The strongest are those who manage to mate.

Additionally, male bees also use gene transfer tactics. With their semen poisonous to the queen’s eyes They are trying to blind the queen. Temporary blindness can prevent the queen bee from flying further to mate. It may also increase the chance that the genes of the blinding drone will gain the upper hand.

From the perspective of natural selection it seems quite cruel, but it actually has a purpose.

The death of drones ensures that genetic material is only passed on by the strongest and most adaptable. In addition, outside the mating season, the colony fewer drones to feed, It also allows the colony to use its resources more efficiently.

Our tears are pitt: the sacrifice of a bee

Thus, the lives of these small but important creatures contain one of nature’s most interesting secrets: mate once and then die. The short life of male bees is an example of great sacrifice for the health and continuity of the colony.

With the death of drones we see again how complex and surprising nature is.

Sources: Medium, Research Gate, ThoughtCo., UC Riverside Entomology

About animals “Why?” Our other content asking the question:

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