Rare bee has a body that's half-male, half-female, and split exactly down the middle

[admin]

Gynandromorphy produced a bee with half of its body displaying female features, and the other half of its body showing male traits.

Rare bee has a body that's half-male, half-female, and split exactly down the middle : Read more

 

[DrTri]

Gynandromorphy produced a bee with half of its body displaying female features, and the other half of its body showing male traits.

Rare bee has a body that's half-male, half-female, and split exactly down the middle : Read more

"When the nest was collected, the bee was a larva enclosed in a brood cell, a chamber in the honeycomb where young bees grow, .." Megalopta, or sweat bees do not form honeycomb. These bees nest in excavations in dead wood. https://www.researchgate.net/figure...e-nest-structure-and-cells-the_fig3_227655294

 

[umanakka]

Good Morning,
Very appreciative work and interesting. It is a wonder how this Bee was located and identified as the Male/female combo in one.
Thanks and regards
Uma

 

[Phinneus]

Male bees, or drones, as we know, have but one purpose in life. They do not forage for pollen, they are not capable of protecting the hive against intruders, as they have no stingers.
They cluster around the hive, eat well and are ready when the new queen makes her maiden flight
When she emerges the whole crowd of them take off after her to mate. Only the strongest and fastest drone catches the queen and mates. His genitals are pulled out, he crashes to the ground DEAD. He
Probably has a smile on his bee face. The other unsuccessful drones go back to the hive, still waiting..but no new queen will emerge for some time. When winter comes the guard bees, the females, do not allow the lazy drones inside. These guys die in the cold. Party is over!
Next year the nurse bees will allow some of the larva to become drones..and the cycle is repeated.
As an aside the characters in the side show circus of old, that had a huge beard of bees attached to them, only used stingerless drones.