How to use the queen rearing and brood calendar
- Choose whether your date is the day the egg was laid or the day of grafting.
- Enter the date. For a graft, enter the larva age in days, from 0 to 3.
- Open Advanced options to change any day count if your records or region differ from the examples.
- Read the dated calendar for capping, emergence of the queen, workers and drones, mating flights and the start of laying.
Formula
Egg date = graft date - (egg hatch days + larva age)
Event date = egg date + days for that event
Example days after the egg is laid: hatch 3, queen cell capped 8, queen emerges 16, workers emerge 21, drones emerge 24
Mating flights and laying are counted from the day the queen emerges: 6 and 10 days as examples
All of the day counts are examples that you can edit. Real timing varies by a day or more with the weather, the strength of the colony and the bees themselves.
An egg laid on May 4, 2026
With the example day counts, an egg laid on Monday, May 4, 2026 hatches on Thursday, May 7, the queen cell is capped on Tuesday, May 12, and the queen emerges on Wednesday, May 20. Workers laid that day emerge on Monday, May 25 and drones on Thursday, May 28. Mating flights may begin on Tuesday, May 26 and laying on Saturday, May 30.
If larvae that are 1 day old are grafted on May 4, the egg date is 4 days earlier, Thursday, April 30, and the queen emerges on Saturday, May 16.
How to use the calendar
Beekeepers use a calendar like this to plan when to move queen cells, when to expect a virgin queen and when to check for eggs. Write the dates on the hive or in a notebook, and adjust the day counts after you see how your own colonies behave. Open the hive only when needed, and avoid disturbing a colony in the days around the mating flights of a new queen.
For other dates, use the planting schedule calculator, the date calculator and the days between dates calculator. Seasonal growth in your area can be followed with the growing degree days calculator.
Why the numbers vary
The 16 days to a queen are a commonly quoted average, and the true number runs a little shorter or longer depending on temperature and feeding. Drones need about three days longer than workers. Mating flights depend on warm, calm weather, so the start of laying can slip well past the example.
Assumptions and limits
- The day counts are examples for honey bees, counted from the day the egg is laid, and you can change every one.
- A grafted larva is treated as hatching on the day set for hatching, plus its age in days.
- Dates are calendar dates with no time of day, and weekends are not skipped.
- The calendar is for planning and does not replace looking at the colony.
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take a queen bee to emerge from an egg?
About 16 days is the commonly quoted figure for honey bees, counted from the day the egg is laid. The page uses 16 as an example you can change.
How long do worker and drone bees take to emerge?
Workers emerge after about 21 days and drones after about 24 days, counted from the egg. These are the example values on the page.
What larva age should I graft?
Many beekeepers graft larvae that are very young, around 1 day old. Enter the age you use, from 0 to 3 days, and the page works back to the egg date.
When will a new queen start laying?
It depends on the weather and her mating flights. The page adds an example of 6 days to the start of flights and 10 days to the start of laying, which you can change.