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Drone eviction

honey bee drone eviction

Honey bee worker dragging a drone out of the nest.


At the end of foraging season workers can evict drones from their colony. In temperate climate this happens in autumn. Workers stop feeding drones, deny them access to honey stores and drag them from the nest Fall death rates of drone honey bees,
J. Econ. Entomol.
, Volume 60, p.1198-1202, (1967)
[1]. Workers are more aggressive towards older drones The food of adult drone honeybees (Apis mellifera),
British Journal of Animal Behaviour
, Volume 5, p.7-11, (1957)
[2]The effects of various foods and temperatures on sexual maturation of the drone honey bee (Apis mellifera),
Ann Entomol Soc Amer
, Volume 54, p.519-523, (1961)
[3]Drone rearing for instrumental insemination,
Amer Bee J
, Volume 123, p.284-289, (1983)
[4]. More drones are removed from the colony during favourable weather Fall death rates of drone honey bees,
J. Econ. Entomol.
, Volume 60, p.1198-1202, (1967)
[1]. It can take even few weeks to remove all drones from a colony Fall death rates of drone honey bees,
J. Econ. Entomol.
, Volume 60, p.1198-1202, (1967)
[1]. Under starvation conditions drones are removed from colony faster Fall death rates of drone honey bees,
J. Econ. Entomol.
, Volume 60, p.1198-1202, (1967)
[1]Drone Eviction In Honey Bees (Apis Mellifera Ssp.),
, Ithaca, (2013)
[5]. Eviction of drones can be induced by preventing workers from foraging Factors determining the rearing and rejection of drones by the honeybee colony,
Anim. Behav.
, Volume 23, p.650-675, (1975)
[6]. On the other the eviction can be delayed by feeding the colony in autumn Factors determining the rearing and rejection of drones by the honeybee colony,
Anim. Behav.
, Volume 23, p.650-675, (1975)
[6].

Evicted drones starve to death because they do not collect food from flowers even if it is available.

Drone eviction does not occur in queenless colonies Survival and life span of drone honeybees,
Researches on Population Ecology
, Volume 19, p.51-68, (1977)
[7]Factors governing the spatial distribution of adult drone honeybees in the hive,
J. Apic. Res.
, Volume 16, p.14-26, (1977)
[8]. In one study drone eviction was not observed in queenright colonies Survival and life span of drone honeybees,
Researches on Population Ecology
, Volume 19, p.51-68, (1977)
[7]. This was probably caused by presence of food sources until late autumn.