Gyne

In eusocial bees, ants and wasps there are only a few individuals that are able to reproduce. The female reproductive is known as a Gyne. To found new colonies a new, unmated, gyne leaves the colony and mates with a male reproductive (a drone in the case of bees). The female then forms her own colony with her as queen.

A photograph of alate (winged) ants mating. The gyne (female) is the larger of the two ants, the male is much smaller.
Photograph by Dave Parker licensed under Creative Commons.

Related terms

• Alate
• Apoidea
• Castes
• Drone
• Eusocial
• Flying ant day
• Formicidae
• Hymenoptera
• Nanitic
• Nuptial flight
• Queen substance
• Worker

Related groups of terms

• Insect life cycles

Related pages on this web site

• Aculeate hymenoptera
• Ants
• Bees
• Bees, Wasps and Ants - Order Hymenoptera

See other words beginning with G