Drones

The drone , also known as the drone in technical terms, is the male honeybee. The term is sometimes also used for bumblebees, social bees, and wasps (including hornets). These social species from the order Hymenoptera have three distinct morphs: queen, worker, and drone.

Drones are usually larger and stockier than workers; they lack a sting, and their compound eyes are often larger and more powerful. When laying eggs, the queen determines whether an egg is fertilized or not. Drones develop from unfertilized eggs, while workers and queens develop from fertilized ones.

In honey bees, which form colonies year-round, drones only appear during the colony's reproductive phase, the swarming season, from approximately April to August, but mainly in May and June. For rearing, the worker bees create larger honeycomb cells. By mid-year, a strong, healthy colony may contain several hundred to a thousand drones. The drones do not participate in any work in the hive or in collecting pollen and nectar. Unlike the males of solitary bee species, they are not even able to collect nectar from flowers, but depend on the social exchange of food (trophallaxis) within the colony for their own nutrition. After reaching sexual maturity, they fly out regularly to search for fertile queen bees.

Text source: Wikipedia