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.
Drones have never been observed taking food from flowers. When cold weather begins in the fall and the honey flow stops, drones usually are forced out into the cold and left to starve. Queenless colonies, however, allow them to stay in the hive indefinitely. Top of page Workers Workers are the smallest and most numerous bees in the colony. They are sexually undeveloped females and under normal hive conditions do not lay eggs.