Flying Sperm: The Indispensable Component of the Instrumental Insemination of Honey Bees: A Review

Abstract

Honey bees are significant pollinator species in both natural and agroecosystems. Among three honey bee castes, drones are often regarded as “lazy willi” and assumed merely to function as “flying sperm” in the honey bee colonies, this view is incorrect. During take-off and landing, they always exhibit higher thermogenic capacity than workers, in addition to colony thermoregulation, they received higher attention for astonishing mating behavior. Honey bee queens are highly polyandrous and mate in mid-air with many drones from diverse genetic sources. Instrumental insemination is an essential tool that provides complete control of honey bee mating for breeding and research purposes. Controlled mating in honey bees helps to maintain economically valued traits that ensure colony productivity and sustainability. Ultimately, breeding and keeping better bees through instrumental insemination offer improved pollination that guarantees global food safety and security. The present review emphasizes mainly on the physiology and mating behavior of drones in the context of instrumental insemination.