In order for the drone to be the one who passes > it on the gene would have to be located on the Y chromosome. Females do > not have a Y chromosome. That would make all females mean, I think. Indeed there is no evidence for any sex chromosomes in Hymenoptera. that is sex specific *nuclear* DNA inheritance. Males simply contain one set (haploid) of the mothers double (diploid) nuclear DNA compliment. That is not to say that sons are all comprised of only two clones, because recombination will shuffle the alleles around. There are ways for a trait to be sex linked but it is not very common. Yup, the most likley ways are by sex specific imprinting (so both sexes inherit the maternal and paternal derived copy of the gene but only one is active, the other is silenced) and sex specific gene expression, although these are not mutualy exclusive of course.. The former is yet to be established, although it certainly offers a good and well supported model for sex determination in some hymenoptera species, the later is of course known. Rob Robert Butcher, Evolutionary and Ecological Entomology Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, Dundee University, Dundee, DD1 4HN, Tayside, Scotland, UK. Work Phone:- 01382-344291 (Office), 01382-344756 (Lab). Fax:- 01382-344864 e-mail:- [log in to unmask]