There can be few species for which so much is known about the female, and so little about the male, as the honeybee. — Eva Crane
Adequate nutrition seems to be important for their sexual activity. Feeding experiments by Oertel, Emerson and Wheeler (1953) with radioactive tracers suggest that drones receive special food from the workers. The number of drones which can be kept in a satisfactorily active state by a colony is hence restricted — according to Alber (1955) to about 1000. Drones which had been driven off the brood combs on to honey combs were not able to function fully. — Ruttner
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