The most important reproductive characteristics of honeybee is obligat

ory multiple mating of female (polyandry). Honeybee sperm remains viable in the

spermatheca of mated queen bee for several years. These characteristics make the

 honeybee highly interested and it becomes a special model for studying sperm st

orage. This article summarized progresses in the process of female mating and sp

erm storage, the organ of storage, sperm competition and cryptic female choice i

n the duration of storage, and the mechanism of longterm sperm storage. Sugges

tions for future research are also given.
Key words〓honeybee, queen bees, sperm storage
摘〓要〓
蜜蜂最重要的生殖特征是一雌多雄交配，蜂王交配后将精子贮存于受精囊中长达数年之久，

并仍能保持活力。这些特征使蜜蜂成为研究精子长期贮存的模式动物。文章介绍蜂王的交配

和精子贮存过程，精子贮存器官，贮存过程中的精子竞争和隐秘雌性选择，以及蜂王精子的

长期贮存机制，并对将来的研究方向进行了展望。
关键词〓蜜蜂， 蜂王， 精子贮存