How many days does it take for a queen bee to develop from an egg to emergence?

The development of a queen bee from an egg to emergence is indeed a vital process in beekeeping, and it takes approximately 16 days. The process begins when the queen bee lays an egg in a specially constructed cell known as a queen cell. Following this, the egg hatches into a larva after about three days. The larval stage lasts about five days, during which the larva is fed a specific diet of royal jelly, promoting the development of queen characteristics.

After the larval stage, the queen larva undergoes metamorphosis, which begins during the pupal stage. This phase takes around seven days. Finally, all these stages combined lead to a total duration of roughly 16 days from egg to the fully emerged queen bee. Understanding this timeline is crucial for beekeepers when planning hive management and queen replacement strategies.