Duration of Flight and of Interflight Time of Drone Honey Bees, Apis mellifera1,2

Abstract

Drone flight duration of Apis mellifera L. increased with an increase in flight experience. The longest flights generally were taken by drones 31–40 days old on their 1st daily flight and during mid-afternoon. Ignoring age and other factors, the mean flight duration was 32.56±22.49 minutes. Age at time of initial flight was correlated (r = +0.529) with duration of that flight. Duration of hive-stays between flights showed no clear relationship either with age or with duration of the flight immediately preceding. However, the interval of time in the hive decreased as flight frequency increased, and hivestays between 1st and 2nd flights were significantly longer than succeeding stays. Mean length of time spent in the hive between flights was 17.14 minutes.