Body mass but not wing size or symmetry correlates with life span of honey bee drones.

ABSTRACT

In social insects such as the honey bee, the quality of drones at the time of their emergence can affect their maintenance in the colony until maturity. Body mass, wing size and wing asymmetry of emerging honey bee drones were measured and correlated with their life span in the colony and compared between individuals reaching maturity or not. The life span of drones differed among colonies in which they were maintained after emergence but not between colonies in which they were reared. More drones heavier at emergence reached sexual maturity at 15 days and had a longer life span compared with light-weight drones of lower mass. The size and symmetry of drone forewings was not correlated with their life span. Our results suggest that body mass at emergence is a good predictor of drone survival in the colony.