2. Honey Bees: The Male’s Ultimate Sacrifice
During mating, a drone bee inserts his endophallus into the queen’s sting chamber, ejaculating semen with such force that his endophallus is torn from his abdomen, leading to his death. This evolved as a one-time, high-stakes effort to ensure sperm transfer and colony survival. This unique habit highlights the stakes of reproduction in eusocial insects. (orkin.com)