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The Haplo-diploid sex-determination system is a system that most species of bees and ants use to determine the sex of their offspring. In this system, there are no sex chromosomes. Instead, the sex is determined by the number of chromosomes. Haploid offspring (which are from unfertilized eggs) are males, while Diploid offspring (which are fertilized eggs) are females.
In honeybees the drones (males) are entirely derived from the queen, their mother. The genetic makeup of the female worker bees is half derived from the mother, and half from the father. Thus, if a queen bee mates with one drone, her daughters share 3/4 of their genes with each other. Since a queen normally mates with 10-15 drones, and holds the semen fairly discretely separated, the workers make up subfamilies within the hive. The worker bees are short lived and are constantly being replaced. When a queen runs out of semen from one drone, and begins to lay eggs fertilized by sperm from another, the behavioral characteristics of the hive (which are genetically determined) can change significantly.
If a queen accidentally mates with her brother, there will be large gaps in brood production, either from nonviability of the eggs, or by removal of such eggs by workers.
See also
"Haplo-diploid sex-determination system"