Honey bees are social insects that live in colonies consisting of three types of individuals: the queen, the workers, and the drones.
The queen is the dominant, adult female bee that is the mother of most, if not all the bees in the hive, while the workers are female bees that perform various tasks such as foraging, cleaning, feeding, and defending the hive.
Meanwhile, the drones are male bees that are the product of an unfertilized egg. Drones have bigger eyes and lack stingers.
Their only role is to mate with a virgin queen in nuptial flight, a process that usually ends with their death.
Because of their limited function, drones are often thought of as "lazy and dull" by beekeepers and researchers alike.
They do not gather nectar or pollen and cannot feed without assistance from worker bees.
They spend most of their time in the hive, resting or waiting for a mating opportunity.
However, a recent study by honeybee researchers from the Cluster of Excellence Center for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior (CASCB) at the University of Konstanz and the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior has revealed that drones are not as inactive as they seem.
In fact, they can be temporarily the most active members of the colony.
Drones have synchronized hyperactivity periods
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The researchers used a tracking system called BeesBook to follow the movement and position of each individually marked drone throughout their life in a glass-covered observation hive.
They found that drones have synchronized hyperactivity periods, in which they are the fastest individuals in the colony.
These periods coincide with the flight period of drones, which usually occurs in the afternoon when the temperature is high enough for them to fly out of the hive.
During these periods, drones move rapidly around the hive, presumably to warm up their flight muscles and prepare for mating flights.
The researchers also discovered that these hyperactivity periods are influenced by both external factors and the exchange of social information.
For example, they observed that drones adjust their activity according to the weather conditions and the presence or absence of virgin queens in nearby apiaries.
They also found that drones communicate with each other through vibrational signals called piping, which may serve as a cue to synchronize their activity and flight readiness.
Drones play a crucial role in the reproductive success of the colony
The study shows that drones are not lazy at all, but rather have a complex and dynamic behavior that reflects their reproductive strategy.
Drones play a crucial role in the reproductive success of the colony, as they provide genetic diversity and increase the fitness of their sisters.
Drones also serve as a vehicle to mate with a new queen and fertilize her eggs, which will produce the next generation of workers and queens.
The researchers hoped that their findings will inspire more interest and appreciation for drones, which have been largely neglected by honeybee research.
They also suggested that studying drones can provide insights into the evolution and ecology of honey bees, as well as their response to environmental changes and stressors.
