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| Action shot! Check out those huge, beautiful eyes |
I found this drone scrambling around on the ground in our yard. I don’t know why he was there. Perhaps he was all worn out from nightclubbing. Perhaps the ladies in his hive had booted him out. It’s hard to say. But I enjoyed taking a close at him, to appreciate the difference between him and his sisters, the worker bees, first hand.
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| Worker–Queen–Drone |
Drones are longer than the workers, and a lot thicker through the body. Not so large that they’d be mistaken for bumble bees, but they’re definitely big, husky boys. The queen is longer than a drone, but much more slender–and anyway, unless you happen to catch her mating flight, you’ll never see a queen out and about. So if you spot an extra-large honey bee, it’s a drone.
The other dead giveaway for drones is their huge, shining eyes. Drones have one function only: to mate with a virgin queen. Should one come by. And should they be able to catch her. So they have to be on constant lookout, and moreover, they have to be looking up at all times, because she won’t be stretched out on a lounge chair, waiting for him to bring her a cocktail. She’ll be flying super-high up. He needs those huge eyes to spot her.
(As an aside, I don’t know why drone has become a synonym for a mindless worker (e.g. office drones). Drone should be a synonym for a highly privileged but ultimately disposable male, a male who lives off the work of others, his sole function to continue his genetic line, i.e, an aristocrat. I read a P.G. Wodehouse novel in which a gentleman’s club–in the historical, English sense of the term, not the euphemistic strip-joint sense–was named the Drone’s Club. And that was the best use of drone I’ve yet encountered.)
The last thing–and the coolest thing–you should know about drones is that they don’t have stingers. They cannot sting. Or bite. Or even wound you with a sarcastic remark. They’re lovers, not fighters. So if you’ve always wanted to pet a bee, don’t be afraid to pick one up.
Erik has been reading up on the amazing, secret life of drones lately, and I hope he’ll post about that soon. It will blow your mind.
Yup, the Drone’s Club. So apt. P.G. Wodehouse. Always makes me think of a young Hugh Laurie.
Bees are truly fascinating. The more you know about them, the more amazing they are.
Love Wodehouse. I’m looking forward to Erik’s post on drones. How cool that you spotted one!
Very interesting and entertaining, didn’t know all that, thanks.
“…or even wound you with a sarcastic comment…” Lol! I’ll never look at bees the same way again.
Wodehouse! That’s it. I had a total block on where that came from. Thanks, guys.
Corrected the post to include Mr. Wodehouse.
Gorgeous! I recommend the book, Fruitless Fall. About the difficulties honeybees are having worldwide, but also about bee-life, and beekeepers.
Fascinating.
In general you can pet any honeybee outside the hive. I pet workers on flowers all the time. It irritates them, but they won’t sting except to protect the hive. If you semi-crush a worker say by stepping on it barefoot…you will get stung. Try gently petting workers, it is safe, fun, and will amaze your friends.