Honeybee Mating Biology and the Role of Drone Congregation Areas with Dr. Gard Otis
- Connecticut Beekeepers Association
- 22 hours ago
- 2 min read
Honeybee Mating Biology and the Role of Drone Congregation Areas with Dr. Gard Otis
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.
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 W. Otis, Professor Emeritus
Professor of Behavioural Ecology and Apiculture (1982-2017)
School of Environmental Sciences, University of Guelph
Adjunct Researcher, Institute of Bee Health
Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern and Agroscope
Dr. Gard Otis 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.
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