Critically, we still have almost no direct data on where queens mate, only based on where we’ve chosen to look. For decades, beekeepers have been told a simple story: drones leave the hive, fly to a location in the sky called a Drone Congregation Area (DCA), and wait there for queens to arrive. Drawing on nearly 50 years of collaborative research with Dr. Orley “Chip” Taylor and others, Dr. Gard Otis revisits that story and shows that the real picture is far more complex—and far more interesting.

Speaker Details:

Dr. Gard Otis is an entomologist who is best known for his activities with honey bees. After graduating from Duke University (B.S., Zoology, 1973), he attended the University of Kansas where, under the supervision of Orley “Chip” Taylor, he studied the ecology of rain forest butterflies and population dynamics of Africanized honey bees (PhD, Ecology, 1980). In 1981, they collaborated on studies of the mating behavior of honey bees in Venezuela. Since joining the University of Guelph in 1982, he studied the biology of tracheal mites, bred bees resistant to them, has been involved in research on all fourteen species of honey bees, and led a highly successful beekeeping development project in Vietnam.

Dr. Gard W. Otis, Professor Emeritus  

Professor of Behavioural Ecology and Apiculture (1982-2017)

School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph

Guelph, Ontario, Canada   N1G 2W1

Adjunct Researcher, Institute of Bee Health

Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern and Agroscope

Schwarzenburgstrasse 161, CH-3097 Bern, Switzerland