why do male bees die after mating

Male bees (drones) die after mating because during copulation, their reproductive organ called the endophallus ruptures and remains embedded inside the queen bee, forming a mating plug. This rupture tears the drone’s abdomen, causing fatal injuries that lead to the drone's death shortly after mating. This biological mechanism ensures the drone's reproductive sacrifice benefits the colony by preventing the queen from mating again immediately and helps optimize resource allocation within the hive by removing drones after their reproductive role is complete. After the mating flight, any remaining drones are often expelled from the hive by worker bees since they become a resource drain without contributing further to the colony.