Follow A Queen Bee On Her Maiden Mating Flight
Wednesday, September 11, 2013 - 06:30
in Biology & Nature
Get the bees'-eye view. Queen honeybees mate just once in their lives, within weeks of emerging as an adult from the little honeycomb cells in which they grew. Their mating flights may be the only time they ever leave their hive. But at least they seem to make the most of it: They mate in mid-air, at about 20 feet above the ground, with seven to 15 drones. Boom chicka wow wow. More Than Honey, a recent documentary about the death of domestic honeybee hives around the world, includes the amazing bees'-eye video of this flight above. More Than Honey is in theaters now in the U.K. It's already had its run in the U.S., showing in New York in June and in Los Angeles in August. It'll be out on DVD October 21 and available on iTunes October 28.