They are generally present only during late spring and summer. The drone's head is much larger than that of either the queen or worker, and its compound eyes meet at the top of its head. Drones have no stinger, pollen baskets, or wax glands. Their main function is to fertilize the virgin queen during her mating flight. Only a small percentage of drones fulful this function.
Drones become sexually mature about twelve days after emerging and die instantly upon mating.
They perform no useful work for the hive. However, the presence of a few drones is believed to improve the general morale of the colony during the honey flow. While drones normally rely on workers for food, they can feed themselves within the hive after they are four days old. Since drones eat three times as much food as workers, an excessive number of drones certainly places an added stress on the colony's food supply. Drones stay in the hive until about eight days old, then begin to take orientation flights.