In honey bees (Apis mellifera) the epigenetic mark of DNA methylation is central to the developmental regulation of caste differentiation, but may also be involved in additional biological functions. We examined the whole genome methylation profiles of three stages of the haploid honey bee genome: unfertilised eggs, the adult drones that develop from these eggs, and the sperm produced by these drones.  Each methylome exhibited distinct patterns of methylation, with 381 significantly differentially methylated genes (DMGs) between eggs and sperm. Extensive differential germline methylation suggests parent-specific epigenetic marking in the gametes, an observation consistent with predictions of parental imprinting in eusocial insects. However, it is also possible that this finding arose in part because methylation and demethylation during embryogenesis increases the number of genes that are methylated in eggs, and is nothing to do with parental imprinting.  To further address the question of paternal imprinting in honey bees we performed reciprocal crosses between honey bee subspecies.  These crosses revealed a strong parent-of-origin effect for ovary size in offspring workers. We are now exploring methylation in specific tissues such as ovaries of active and non-actively reproducing workers, and in the eggs of highly reproductive worker honey bees to determine if methylation is involved in reproductive behaviour in honey bees.