Every summer, 1,000 virgin queens descend on the Belgian town of Chimay. During the “wedding flight”, a male attaches to the female. His endophallus (penis equivalent) is torn off and he falls to the ground and dies. Mission accomplished.
Beekeepers come and pick up their fertilised queens in small colourful hives, driving them back home, sometimes more than 300km away. They will use the genetic material gathered in south Belgium to build new colonies in the Netherlands, France and Germany.
The point of this annual pilgrimage – which started in 2000 – is to spread the genes of the endangered European dark bee (Apis mellifera mellifera), the native subspecies of the honeybee (Apis mellifera), which evolved to live alongside the flowers and climate of this region. It is one of at least 24 honeybee subspecies, and conservationists argue it is the only one that should be here.
Beekeepers can reserve a place over the summer in the Maison de l’Abeille Noire (dark bee house), rather like booking a camping spot. During their two-week visit, young queens will mate with up to 20 males, collecting millions of sperm.
Continue Reading on The Guardian
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.