“Accomplishing Your Purpose”

In early fall, there are few drone (male) honeybees in our colonies. Why?

They have accomplished their God-given purpose and are no longer needed.

The main purpose of the drones is to inseminate the virgin queens that come their way as the virgins are on their mating flights. The drones that successfully mate die as a result of the insemination act. Those that do not mate return to the colony to go out the next day, prepared to inseminate any virgin queens they encounter.