ArticleInsects2019
Reproductive Senescence in Drones of the Honey Bee (Apis mellifera).
Article in Insects, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 26 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
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Who cites it
26 citing papers in PubMed.
- The life history of recessive deleterious alleles as seen through the eyes of a honey bee (Apis mellifera).Molecular biology and evolution · 2026Article
- Reference gene selection for RT-qPCR normalization in the drone testis of honey bee (Apis cerana) during meiosis stages.PloS one · 2026Article
- Conservation of Honeybee (Apis mellifera) Intraspecific Diversity Through Reproductive Science and Technology.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2026Review
- Unintended consequences of antibiotic use in beekeeping: drone health as a potential vulnerability.Animal microbiome · 2025Article
- Reproductive Senescence in the Pollinator,Insects · 2025Article
- Discovery of reproductive tissue-associated bacteria and the modes of microbiota acquisition in male honey bees (drones).mSphere · 2025Article
- From larva to adult: In vitro rearing protocol for honey bee (Apis mellifera) drones.PloS one · 2025Article
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- A postmeiotically bifurcated roadmap of honeybee spermatogenesis marked by phylogenetically restricted genes.PLoS genetics · 2023Article
- Spermatophore development in drones indicates the metabolite support for sperm storage in honey bees (Frontiers in physiology · 2023Article
- The Influence of Body Weight on Semen Parameters inInsects · 2022Article
- Drone honey bees are disproportionately sensitive to abiotic stressors despite expressing high levels of stress response proteins.Communications biology · 2022Article
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- Variation in the reproductive quality of honey bee males affects their age of flight attempt.PeerJ · 2022Article
- Testicular Changes of Honey Bee Drones, Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae), During Sexual Maturation.Journal of insect science (Online) · 2021Article
- Reproductive and Morphological Quality of Commercial Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Drones in the United States.Journal of insect science (Online) · 2021Article
- Review
- Toxicity assessment of chronic exposure to common insecticides and bee medications on colony development and drones sperm parameters.Ecotoxicology (London, England) · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
Abstract
In the face of high proportions of yearly colony losses, queen health and fecundity has been a major focus of industry and research. Much of the reproductive quality of the queen, though, is a function of the mating success and quality of the drones (males). Many environmental factors can negatively impact drone semen quality, but little is known about factors that impact the drones' ability to successfully mate and deliver that semen, or how widely drones vary. In our study, we observed the daily variation in honey bee drone reproductive quality over time, along with a number of morphological traits. Drones were reared in cages in bank colonies, and 20 individuals were dissected and measured daily. The number of viable spermatozoa in the seminal vesicles was zero at emergence and reached an average maximum of 7.39 ± 0.19 million around 20 days of life. Decline in spermatozoa count occurred after day 30, though viability was constant throughout life, when controlling for count. Older drones had smaller wet weights, head widths, and wing lengths. We predict that this is likely due to sampling bias due to a differential lifespan among larger, more reproductively developed drones. Our study shows that drones are more highly variable than previously suggested and that they have a significant variation in reproductive physiology as a function of age.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.