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Drone congregation area

Drone congregation area (DCA) is a place where drones fly most of the time after leaving the nest. The DCA is 30-200 m in diameter and 15-40 m above ground Untersuchnungen über die Flugaktivität und das Paarungsverhalten der Drohnen. 2. Beobachtungen an Drohnensammelplätzen,
Z. Bienenforsch.
, Volume 8, p.1-8, (1965)
[1]The life and flight activity of drones,
Bee World
, Volume 47, p.93-100, (1966)
[2]. Drones fly back and forth in this area producing audible sound similar to a swarm of bees. Drones can choose among many DCA near the apiary. During its life a drone can visit few different DCA. Sometimes more than one DCA is visited by the same drone during one day Untersuchungen über die Flugaktivität und das Paarungverhalten der Drohnen. 3. Flugweite und Flugrichtung der Drohnen,
Z. Bienenforsch.
, Volume 8, p.332-354, (1966)
[3].

The same place can be chosen by honey bees as DCA year after year Drohnensammelplätze,
Bienenvater
, Volume 83, p.45-47, (1962)
[4]Untersuchungen über die Flugaktivität und das Paarungsverhalten der Drohnen, V. Drohnensammelplatze und Paarungsdistanz,
Apidologie
, Volume 3, p.203-232, (1972)
[5], however, it is not known what makes the places attractive to drones. It was suggested that choice of the places is related to perception of Earth's magnetic field Influence of age on the fluctuation of iron in the oenocytes of honey bee (Apis mellifera) drones,
Apidologie
, Volume 16, p.181-184, (1985)
[6]Evidence of magnetic influence on the formation of honey bee (Apis mellifera L.) drone congregation areas,
Bee Science
, Volume 2, Number 2, p.71–76, (1992)
[7] or visual features on the ground Messung und Charakteristik von Leucht-oder Strahlungsfeldern an Drohnensammelplätzen (Apis mellifera),
Verh. Dtsch. Zool. Ges.
, Volume 1976, p.273, (1976)
[8](observations of Buchmann reported in Radar entomology: observing insect flight and migration,
, Wallingford, UK, (2012)
[9]). Usually there is an open space around DCA without trees or hils Drone congregation areas,
J. Apic. Res.
, Volume 2, p.64-66, (1963)
[10]Untersuchnungen über die Flugaktivität und das Paarungsverhalten der Drohnen. 2. Beobachtungen an Drohnensammelplätzen,
Z. Bienenforsch.
, Volume 8, p.1-8, (1965)
[1] see also Landscape analysis of drone congregation areas of the honey bee, Apis mellifera,
Journal of Insect Science
, Volume 12, p.122, (2012)
[11]. Sometimes it is located over water or forest Genetic composition and phenology of mating drone congregations in the honey bee Apis mellifera,
Revue d'Ecologie
, Volume 64, Number 4, p.343–350, (2009)
[12]. Formation of DCA can be affected by pheromones produced by drones Honeybee drones are attracted by groups of consexuals in a walking simulator,
Journal of Experimental Biology
, p.(in press), (2014)
[13]. Artificial DCA can be induced with large amounts of queen substance A study of honey bee drone attraction in the mating response,
J. Econ. Entomol.
, Volume 63, p.641-645, (1970)
[14]. In order to confirm presence of DCA, caged queen fixed to a balloon is placed in mid-air Observations of mating behaviour in the honeybee,
J. Apic. Res.
, Volume 2, p.3-13, (1963)
[15]. Presence of DCA is indicated by drones congregating around the caged queen. Instead of the queen its pheromones can be used Wind-directed pheromone trap for drone honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae),
J Econ Entomol
, Volume 80, p.532-536, (1987)
[16]Using pheromone traps to improve honeybee breeding,
The Australasian Beekeeper
, Volume 111, p.284-286, (2010)
[17]. DCA can be also observed using radar Radar entomology: observing insect flight and migration,
, Wallingford, UK, (2012)
[9].

In order to reach DCA drones travel up to 7 km and cross mountain ridges 800-1000 m high Untersuchungen über die Flugaktivität und das Paarungsverhalten der Drohnen, V. Drohnensammelplatze und Paarungsdistanz,
Apidologie
, Volume 3, p.203-232, (1972)
[5]Untersuchungen über die Flugaktivität und das Paarungsverhalten der drohnen. VI. Flug auf und über Höhenrücken,
Apidologie
, Volume 7, p.331-341, (1976)
[18]. Mean flight distance of drones is 900 m Drone abundance, queen flight distance, and the neutral mating model for the honey bee, Apis mellifera,
Africanized honey bees and bee mites
, Chichester, UK, p.173–183, (1988)
[19]. The drones prefer DCA located close to the nest The nearer the better? Drones (Apis mellifera) prefer nearer drone congregation areas,
Insectes Sociaux
, Volume 52, Number 1, p.31–35, (2005)
[20]Genetic differentiation and hybridization in the honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) in Switzerland,
Philosophisch-naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät
, Bern, p.69, (2006)
[21]Managed European-Derived Honey Bee, Apis mellifera sspp, Colonies Reduce African-Matriline Honey Bee, A. m. scutellata, Drones at Regional Mating Congregations,
PloS one
, Volume 11, Number 8, p.e0161331, (2016)
[22].

Number of drones present at DCA depends on weather and time of day. It can range from few hundred to few thousand Multiple mating, sperm utilization, and social evolution,
Amer. Nat.
, Volume 119, p.263-281, (1982)
[23]. In region with high density of honey bee colonies DCA was visited during one hour by 11750±2145 (mean±SD) drones (maximum 15290) Drone competition at drone congregation areas in four Apis species,
Apidologie
, Volume 36, Number 2, p.211–221, (2005)
[24]. Drones at DCA are not related and represent about 240 colonies Relatedness among honeybees (Apis mellifera) of a drone congregation,
Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
, Volume 265, Number 1409, p.2009-2014, (1998)
[25] see also Genetic structure of drone congregation areas of Africanized honeybees in southern Brazil,
Genetics and Molecular Biology
, Volume 32, Number 4, p.857–863, (2009)
[26]Temporal variation in the genetic structure of a drone congregation area: an insight into the population dynamics of wild African honeybees (Apis mellifera scutellata),
Molecular Ecology
, Volume 18, Number 7, p.1511–1522, (2009)
[27]. The same DCA can be visited by different subspecies Untersuchungen über die Flugaktivität und das Paarungsverhalten der Drohnen, V. Drohnensammelplatze und Paarungsdistanz,
Apidologie
, Volume 3, p.203-232, (1972)
[5] but timing of the visits can be different Genetic composition and phenology of mating drone congregations in the honey bee Apis mellifera,
Revue d'Ecologie
, Volume 64, Number 4, p.343–350, (2009)
[12].

The concentration of drones is highest in the centre of DCA The use of radar to detect honey bee (Apis mellifera) drone flight behaviour,
Africanized honey bees and bee mites
, Chichester, UK, p.193-198, (1988)
[28]. The diameter of DCA at higher distance from the ground is smaller and its centre is not always in the same place at different heights The use of radar to detect honey bee (Apis mellifera) drone flight behaviour,
Africanized honey bees and bee mites
, Chichester, UK, p.193-198, (1988)
[28]Detection and monitoring of honeybee drone congregation areas by radar,
Apidologie
, Volume 18, p.163-172, (1987)
[29]. Drones fly to the DCA along tree rows and other features of landscape at maximum hight above ground 21 m Honey bee drone flyways and congregation areas— radar observations,
J. Kans. Entomol. Soc.
, Volume 65, p.223-230, (1992)
[30]. Neighbouring DCA are often connected by flyways.

Queen is attractive to drones only within DCA. If queen is few meters outside the DCA (both in horizontal and vertical direction) drones stop pursuing her Untersuchnungen über die Flugaktivität und das Paarungsverhalten der Drohnen. 2. Beobachtungen an Drohnensammelplätzen,
Z. Bienenforsch.
, Volume 8, p.1-8, (1965)
[1]. Distance above the ground where queen is attractive to drones differed between days and it is probably affected by weather Observations of mating behaviour in the honeybee,
J. Apic. Res.
, Volume 2, p.3-13, (1963)
[15]. It was suggested that drones visiting DCA release a pheromone which is attractive to queens Pheromonal activity and fine structure of the mandibular glands of honeybee drones (Apis mellifera L.) (Insecta, Hymenoptera, Apidae),
J. Insect Physiol.
, Volume 31, p.265-276, (1985)
[31].

Drones collected at DCA can be used to monitor the surrounding population. This can be useful in honey bee conservation areas MtDNA COI-COII marker and Drone Congregation Area: An efficient method to establish and monitor honeybee (Apis mellifera L.) conservation centers,
Molecular ecology resources
, p.(in press), (2014)
[32] and for monitoring population density Estimating the density of honeybee colonies across their natural range to fill the gap in pollinator decline censuses,
Conservation Biology
, Volume 24, Number 2, p.583–593, (2010)
[33].

Review: A closer look — drone congregation areas,
Bee Culture
, Volume 136, p.25, (2008)
[34]
Other references: Ueber Drohnensammelplatze,
Bienenvater
, Volume 75, p.264-265, (1950)
[35]Beiträge zur Kenntnis des Paarungsfluges der Honigbiene,
Apidologie
, Volume 6, p.233-281, (1975)
[36]Drohnensammelplatze Ein Beispiel von Paarungsverhalten bei Insekten,
Anzeiger für Schädlingskunde Pflanzen- und Umweltschutz
, Volume 47, p.40-42, (1974)
[37]Have you heard a drone assembly?,
, (1977)
[38]Differential genotype contributions in a honey bee mating area,
Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting and Exhibition
, (2004)
[39]Using drones for estimating colony number by microsatellite DNA analysis of haploid males in Apis,
Apidologie
, Volume 36, Number 2, p.223–229, (2005)
[40]Experimental determination of drone congregation areas for Apis mellifera capensis Esch,
Journal of Apicultural Research
, Volume 46, Number 3, p.154–159, (2007)
[41]Use of drone trapping and drone release to influence matings of European queens in an Africanized honey bee area (Hymenoptera, Apidae),
J Apic Res
, Volume 30, p.119–124, (1991)
[42]Scientific note on a single-user method for identifying drone congregation areas,
Journal of Apicultural Research
, Volume 53, Number 4, p.424–425, (2014)
[43]