This 1890 drawing presents a fine example of an Apis Mellifica drone. What a fine studly specimen he is. His job in the hive is to mate with the queen bee. Unlike worker bees, drones do not have a stinger or collect pollen. They have larger eyes and abdomens than the worker bees but remain smaller than queen bees.
This drone bee drawing was included in The Young Collector’s Handbook of Ants, Bees, Dragon-flies, Earwigs, Crickets, and Flies Hymenoptera, Neuroptera, Orthoptera, Hemiptera, Diptera., a well-illustrated work by W. Harcourt Bath. It is unclear whether the author or some un-credited artist provided the many insect and bee drawings included in the book.
This image is copyright free and in the public domain anywhere that extends copyrights 70 years after death or at least 120 years after publication when the original illustrator is unknown.
