How long does a drone live?

How long does a drone live?

The life of a drone is generally about 3 to 4 months, but in most cases it is difficult for a drone to live this long. Because the drone has only one chance to mate with the queen bee in his life and will die within a few minutes after the mate, And those drones who failed to mate with the queen came back to the nest and only knew to eat and drink without participating in labor. After a long time, they would be bitten by workers, starved to death or expelled from the colony. Swarms that are relatively weak or who have not successfully mated will retain the drone for an additional period of time.

Drones are developed without fertilized eggs and generally only occur in large numbers during the bee division season. Although they are not a fixed member of the colony like worker bees and queen bees, the queen cannot lay eggs properly without the mating of the drone. It is also an indispensable part of the bee colony.