A use for drones hatched from laying worker eggs?

[Anthony Appleyard]

Drones hatched from laying worker eggs :: can they successfully mate with a virgin queen on her nuptial flight? If so, evolution likely created the ability for a hopelessly queenless colony to develop laying workers as a last-ditch attempt by the colony to perpetuate its genes.

 

[drex]

Yep

 

[Erichalfbee]

Drones hatched from laying worker eggs :: can they successfully mate with a virgin queen on her nuptial flight? If so, evolution likely created the ability for a hopelessly queenless colony to develop laying workers as a last-ditch attempt by the colony to perpetuate its genes.

That’s what the books say

 

[oliver90owner]

But do remember that there should be competition from drones on a queen’s mating flight - the strongest should be the ‘winners’. Therfore an answer of ‘yes’ does not necessarily mean it will happen.

 

[BugsInABox]

Interesting that - do we land at: queen + colony group interests are in only HRH’s drones, but if Q- then it’s more of a free for all. Would still be in everyone’s interests to raise the strongest drones possible though wouldn’t it.
I wonder where the evolutionary pressure to prevent worker drone rearing in a Q+ coloney comes from. Someone has probably done the math!