Bob questions my statement about the reason for the hole in the cerana drone brood. It isn't for mite removal as the mite is much bigger than the hole. Rather:

> The pore in the cap obviously serves for the exchange of respiration gases by the developing drone in the sealed cell. This biological function was proven by plugging the cocoon pore experimentally with beeswax. Drones did not emerge from cells when the central pore was closed in this way. Their metamorphosis was stopped or retarded. The dense cocoon structure obviously hinders the exchange of respiration gases. 

> It is striking that if brood cells of A. cerana are experimentally uncapped, those of workers are re-sealed. When drone cells are uncapped, the drone pupae are fast removed by eating. In A. mellifera both drone and worker brood are re-sealed if experimentally uncapped. In one experiment 95% of the worker cells  were re-sealed and likewise 95% of the drone cells using different developmental stages of the pupae -- Otto Boecking 

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