Speed Dating with Explosions
A drone honeybee's entire mating apparatus everts and detaches in 0.3 seconds, with the force of ejaculation creating an audible 'pop'.
The male honeybee's mating system is designed for one purpose: a single, explosive delivery.
When a drone mates with the queen in mid-air, his endophallus (internal penis) rapidly everts (turns inside-out) and penetrates the queen. This process takes only 0.3 seconds and is powered by internal pressure so intense that:
- It makes an audible "pop" sound - The drone is paralyzed instantly - The endophallus tears away from the drone's body - The drone dies within minutes
The detached mating apparatus remains inside the queen as a temporary "mating plug." The next drone to mate typically removes this plug before inserting his own equipment — and leaving his own behind.
A queen mates with 10-20 drones during her mating flights. She stores all this sperm in a specialized organ called the spermatheca, where it remains viable for her entire 3-5 year lifespan. She'll use this stored sperm to fertilize hundreds of thousands of eggs.
The drones that successfully mate represent the genetic winners of an intense competition. Thousands of drones compete for each queen, but only a tiny fraction succeed — and success means immediate death.