> Hmmm, I seem to remember something about size doesn't matter..

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The comparison of the offspring analysis and the drone presence in the drone congregation area showed a reproductive dis- advantage of smaller drones. ... we hypothesize that the lessened reproductive success of smaller drones is caused mainly by a lower success rate in competition for access to the queen ... 

Altogether the lower reproductive success of small drones fits well with the concept of costs and benefits. Smaller drones should have less reproductive success, which was demonstrated in our experiments.

Berg, S., Koeniger, N., Koeniger, G., & Fuchs, S. (1997). Body size and reproductive success of drones (Apis mellifera L). Apidologie, 28(6), 449-460.

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Smaller drones are capable of mating with queens, but they produce fewer sperm (Schluns et al. 2003), and have lower reproductive success than larger drones (Berg et al. 1997). 

Smith, M. L., Ostwald, M. M., & Seeley, T. D. (2016). Honey bee sociometry: tracking honey bee colonies and their nest contents from colony founding until death. Insectes sociaux, 63(4), 553-563.

PLB

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