The drone is the male bee. He is bigger and stouter than his sisters. He is not quite as long as the queen but looks bigger because of his shape. His function in life is to mate with a young queen. Drones are born each year from about mid-April to the end of July. In August when the supply of nectar starts to diminish they are driven from the colony by the workers and killed. Because of their size they serve to provide heat in the brood nest but do not perform any work in the colony, therefore when the end of foraging season comes they are no longer tolerated. The drone’s life span is an average of 21 to 32 days during Spring to mid –Summer, however during late Summer and Autumn they can survive up to 90 days.