DRONES ARE PRODUCED PARTHENOGENETICALLY (that is, from unfertilized eggs) and have a grand-father but no father. As a consequence, drones are haploid, having only one set of chromosomes (N =16) as opposed to two sets for queens and workers (N = 32). Development from egg to adult requires 24 days. These male honey bees, broader and heavier than queens, are defenseless, do not forage, and to a great extent are dependent on worker bees for their daily needs. Early in their adult life drones are fed by workers but later in life they feed themselves on honey stored in the hive. In cooler climates, drones are normally present only during the summer months and their life span is only about 2 :months. Late in the fall they are driven out of the hive by workers preparing for winter and eventually die due to starvation, exposure, or predation.

The drone's sole purpose for being is mating and, if successful, his reward is death. Drones have highly developed sense organs for mating. These include large eyes capable of nearly 360' vision with many ultraviolet receptors that enable a pursuing drone to silhouette the queen against skylight. Drones also have highly modified antennae for detecting the scent of the queen. They are sexually mature after 10 to 12 days and may embark on as many as 25 flights during a lifetime. Each flight lasts about 30 to 60 min.

When the weather is favorable, groups of airborne drones called comets gather to await passage of a queen on a mating flight. The congregation areas are characterized by particular air currents and landmarks. Drones locate the queen by her scent and, using their powerful wings, chase her. Eventually one catches the queen, and they copulate in flight. Air pressure from the abdominal respiratory system expels the male genitalia. An audible "pop" signals a successful mating and the demise of the drone, which falls to the ground.

Worker bees may develop functional ovaries and produce unfertilized eggs that develop into drones. These drones will be full sized if raised in drone-sized cells but much smaller if raised in worker cells. All are sexually functional.