Explain the sexual reproduction take place in honeybee.
Explain the sexual reproduction take place in honeybee.
Before we look at honey bee reproduction, it is worthwhile considering that other varieties of bees reproduce entirely differently.
- Bumble Bees. The male bumble bee is aggressive in his mating practices. He knocks the queen to the ground to climb on her thorax, after which mating occurs.
- Carpenter Bees. The carpenter bee mating process usually begins with a dance. 12 males will join a group of 3-4 female carpenter bees and begin doing a ‘bobbing’ dance. The females will take flight because carpenter bees must be in the air to mate. A male will then try to climb on her back, with the goal of getting his abdomen underneath hers for mating to occur.
- Sweat Bees. Sweat bee mating is like a honey bee mating, but with a few differences. Male sweat bees are not particular as to whether a female sweat bee has previously mated. Additionally, there is no mating flight. Female sweat bees mate and lay eggs when needed to ensure the survival of the colony.
- Africanized Honey Bees. The mating ritual of the Africanized honey bees is another very interesting phenomenon. Instead of taking a mating flight, Africanized bees synchronize their flight. At a certain time of the year, the bees will all take off to find new homes. When they do this, they mix with other hives flying, break apart and find their new homes. This mixing period is when mating occurs, and this also helps to reduce inbreeding within the hive.
There are many differences in how bees mate. Let’s take a closer look at how this all works for honey bees.
Overview of the Honey Bee Mating Process How Do Bees Mate? Male bee - drones mate with the queen one at a time, to release their sperm. The drone will fly over a queen with the intention of positioning himself such that his thorax is above her abdomen. A drone’s appendage is referred to as an endophallus, which is tucked within his body and inverted simultaneously. He will protrude his endophallus and insert it in the queen’s sting chamber.
When this happens successfully, his endophallus will flip and secrete sperm in the process. This process takes less than 5 seconds and when he disengages with the queen his endophallus will be ripped off! This means that the act of mating usually kills the drone.
Before we look at honey bee reproduction, it is worthwhile considering that other varieties of bees reproduce entirely differently.
- Bumble Bees. The male bumble bee is aggressive in his mating practices. He knocks the queen to the ground to climb on her thorax, after which mating occurs.
- Carpenter Bees. The carpenter bee mating process usually begins with a dance. 12 males will join a group of 3-4 female carpenter bees and begin doing a ‘bobbing’ dance. The females will take flight because carpenter bees must be in the air to mate. A male will then try to climb on her back, with the goal of getting his abdomen underneath hers for mating to occur.
- Sweat Bees. Sweat bee mating is like a honey bee mating, but with a few differences. Male sweat bees are not particular as to whether a female sweat bee has previously mated. Additionally, there is no mating flight. Female sweat bees mate and lay eggs when needed to ensure the survival of the colony.
- Africanized Honey Bees. The mating ritual of the Africanized honey bees is another very interesting phenomenon. Instead of taking a mating flight, Africanized bees synchronize their flight. At a certain time of the year, the bees will all take off to find new homes. When they do this, they mix with other hives flying, break apart and find their new homes. This mixing period is when mating occurs, and this also helps to reduce inbreeding within the hive.
There are many differences in how bees mate. Let’s take a closer look at how this all works for honey bees.
Overview of the Honey Bee Mating Process How Do Bees Mate?Male bee - drones mate with the queen one at a time, to release their sperm. The drone will fly over a queen with the intention of positioning himself such that his thorax is above her abdomen. A drone’s appendage is referred to as an endophallus, which is tucked within his body and inverted simultaneously. He will protrude his endophallus and insert it in the queen’s sting chamber.
When this happens successfully, his endophallus will flip and secrete sperm in the process. This process takes less than 5 seconds and when he disengages with the queen his endophallus will be ripped off! This means that the act of mating usually kills the drone.
