Maybe an odd question, but not one I've had luck with by searching the internet (you can GUESS the sorts of search results I've had!)...
 
In the spermatheca is sperm stored separately by drone, or is it freely mixing and becoming 'homogenous'?
 
Which leads into the question when the queen lays.. is there a tendency for her to work her way through the sperm of a drone at a time, or is she laying eggs with a random mix of sperm all the time?
 
I'm interested because I assume that the mix would be a better/safer evolutionary adaptation, where a range of different drone genetic contributions can add a balance of traits in the hive over an extended time.... but I'll swear I've seen a couple of cases where the nature (defensiveness and colour) of a hive have changed more than once over time, as if the queen were working through the sperm of individual drones and that was being reflected in the population. 
 
Hoping the group can help clarify?
 
regards
Deanna Corbett
Hawke's Bay, New Zealand.

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