On the subject of drones and mating, one has to take into
consideration the fact that different honey bee types may maintain
reproductive isolation by mating at *different times of day* (1) or
*different times of the season* (2)

(1)
In south India there are two distinct colour
morphs of cavity nesting honey bees: the yellow Plain
morph and the black Hill morph which are collectively
known as Apis cerana. We show that the Hill morph is
associated with a widely distributed mitochondrial haplotype
that is present throughout mainland populations of
south east Asian A. cerana. In contrast, the Plain morph,
which is apparently confined to low to moderate elevations
in India and Sri Lanka, is associated with a unique
mitochondrial haplotype that is not present in other
cavity nesting honey bees. We further show that in a
region of sympatry (Bangalore, Karnataka State) the
*drone mating flight times* of the two colourmorphs barely
overlap.

Evidence for reproductive isolation between two colour morphs of cavity
nesting honey bees (Apis) in south India
B.P. Oldroyd, et al.
Insectes Sociaux, Volume 53, Number 4, December 2006

(2)
In 1966, an ecotype of honey bees in France was described as adapted
to the local floral phenology. Colonies in the Landes region had a
bimodal peak in annual colony brood cycle, one peak in early summer
and one in autumn. This brood cycle was determined to be of genetic
origin.

Conservation of a locally adapted population of Apis mellifera L.:
ethology, morphology, and molecular markers
James P. STRANGE , et al.
PhD Dissertation

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