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Lost one gain one

1166 Views 3 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  Rader Sidetrack
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Hi, All! Last week I had 2 virgin on their mating flight. One disappeared for 3 days that I inspected the hive for 3 consecutive days. She had
been going out for the whole week without any success. The last time she tried she did not made it back. How sad! Had no idea where she
went or why she did not came back.
The second virgin that hatched about 2 days later made it back after her mating flight. She only went out a few times as far as I can tell by
comparing the before and after body size. She's all swelled up like a big fat loaf of bread. Now she's laying well. I caught her and snapped
a few pics just right after her last return flight. She flew off while I was viding her. But she came back just before the sunset.

Curious though what do we call the white thingy sticking out of her butt after the flight?

Just after her flight:

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Curious though what do we call the white thingy sticking out of her butt after the flight?
My guess is part of a drone.
> Curious though what do we call the white thingy sticking out of her butt after the flight?


The "mating sign" was part of the drone's endophallus. More at the link below.

Through subsequent pressure the bow of the bulb and chitinized plates, the "mating sign," detaches from the endophallus of the drone and remains inside the queen (Woyke and Ruttner 1958).

http://entnemdept.ifas.ufl.edu/walker/ufbir/chapters/chapter_08.shtml
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