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I noticed the use of male bee instead of drone. English has been my second language for a long time, and only recently did I learn that mechanical drones get th

I noticed the use of male bee instead of drone. English has been my second language for a long time, and only recently did I learn that mechanical drones get their names from that. Do you native speakers use male bee more often than drone?

pvaldes 8y ago
Drone is the name for the male of the honey bee. This is a close relative, but different kind of animal. The animals sleeping in flowers aren't necessarily male.
- ezequiel-garzon 8y ago
  Thanks! In those cases (honeybees), do you tend to say drones?
  - mikekchar 8y ago
    Sometimes yes, but especially children often don't know the word so when you use it you often have to explain. Beekeepers do tend to say "drone" in my experience (Source: my father kept bees for a while).
  - pvaldes 8y ago
    The word that I use for this cases is Zánganos in fact
wil421 8y ago
In a normal conversation you would just say bee. Male bee and drone are not too common unless you are talking to a bee keeper or expert. The article is probably using male bee to clarify that drones are all male. Drone is the proper word for most male bees.