Drone and Glandular Pheromones

1 . Do drones have pheromones?

Not much is known about drone pheromone. They do not have Nasonov or sting glands. Glands in the heads of drones may produce pheromones, but this is unknown. There is a drone pheromone that attracts the queen to the drone congregation area. “Drone comets” attract other drones to the “comet” probably with some type of drone pheromone. (Drone comet: a swarm of drones chasing the queen).

2 . What are the DuFour Glands and what do they do?

The glands secrete products into the queens (or laying workers) vaginal cavity. This gel or pheromone covers the eggs as they are laid. Bees can tell the difference between the DuFour gland pheromone of a queen-right colony and the pheromone of laying workers. Not much else is known about the DuFour’s glands.