Explain the mechanism of sex determination in honeybees.

Honey bees show haplodiploidy. It is a form of sex determination where unfertilized haploid eggs develop into males and fertilized eggs mature into females.

In honey bees, the male is haploid while the female is diploid. A female honey bee usually lays two types of eggs – fertilized eggs and unfertilized eggs. Fertilized eggs give rise to female honey bees among which those who are fed with royal jelly become fertile females or queens and others become sterile female or worker bees. The honey bees that are borne from unfertilized eggs are male honey bees or drones.