Question

In honey bee the drones (males) are produced from
a. Unfertilized eggs
b. Fertilized eggs
c. Larvae from unfertilized eggs, which are fed on royal jelly
d. Larvae from unfertilized eggs, which are not cared by the workers at all

Answer 1

The nest of the honey bee is known as the bee-hive and it shows a highly organized division of labor in the colony. They are polymorphic and comprise three types of individuals or casts, namely queen, drone, and worker.

Complete answer:
- Queen: These are large in size and their count is generally one per hive. These are diploid fertile females that feed on the royal jelly. Their sting is curved and modified into an egg-laying organ called the ovipositor. Both fertilized and unfertilized eggs are laid by it.

- Drone: These are smaller than a queen but larger than workers. These are haploid fertile males, present 200-300 per hive, and also referred to as the King of the colony. They live in a drone cell and lack sting and wax glands. Their prime function involves fertilizing the queen. They develop parthenogenetically from an unfertilized egg. Usually, die after copulation.

- Worker: These are the smallest in size and majority in numbers. These are diploid sterile females, incapable of producing eggs. They live in a worker cell and have a pollen basket/corbicula on their hind legs. They contain a string with a poison sac at the tip of the abdomen. Their main function is to collect honey, look after young ones, clean the comb, defend the hive, and maintain the temperature of the hive. They are further classified into nursery bees, builders, repairers, cleaners, and fanners.

Hence, the correct answer is option (A).

Note: Unfertilized eggs give rise to male honey bees that are referred to as drones. The phenomenon is called arrhenotoky. Drones and virgin queens take part in nuptial flight. After copulation, the drones are not allowed to come back into the hive.