Showing posts with label busy bees. Show all posts
Showing posts with label busy bees. Show all posts

Sunday, February 2, 2014

14 Days of Genitals, Day 2: Gettin' busy with Hymenoptera

Hymenoptera is an order of insects that includes wasps, bees, and ants. Whether a hymenopteran is male or female is determined by the number of chromosomes an individual gets: if you get a full set, congrats on your upcoming lady parts, but only half and you just get to be a dude-bee (sorry). 


GUESS WHICH BEE ONLY HAS HALF A SET OF CHROMOSOMES???
The extra chromosomes come entirely from the mother, which means that putting hos before bros actually gives your genes a greater advantage. Hymenopterans are often eusocial: they have hives with female workers, a queen, and a couple of random dudes just around for baby making (less fun when you realize that mating actually turns their testicles inside out).