Honey Bee Parasites, Pests, Predators and Diseases

A drone honey bee

Male honey bees are known as drones. Their only task is to mate with virgin queens, usually from colonies other than their own. They are larger than workers and are easily identified by their large contiguous (touching one another) eyes, which help them spot flying queens. Colonies may contain a few to several hundred drones, depending on the strength of the colony and the time of year. In the fall or after an abrupt end to a honey flow, workers force drones out of the colony in order to conserve colony resources.