Life of a Honey Bee

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The life cycles of the three honey bee castes — worker, queen and drone — from egg to death, on one shared timeline (in days). All begin as an egg; development is similar, but adult lifespans differ enormously: workers ~6 weeks, drones ~3 months, a queen up to several years.

Measured in days from Egg laid (Day 0)

Worker (female)

Queen (female)

Drone (male)

Egg

Larva

Pupa

Adult

Offsets are measured from Egg laid

Life of a Honey Bee 24

Day 0 Egg laid Day 0 The queen lays a single egg at the bottom of a wax cell.
Day 0 Drone egg laid Day 0 An unfertilised egg is laid in a slightly larger drone cell.
Day 0 Queen egg laid Day 0 A fertilised egg is laid in a special vertical queen cell.
Day 3 Egg hatches Day 3 The egg hatches into a tiny, legless larva.
Days 3–10 Larval feeding Days 3–10 The drone larva is fed by nurse bees; drones are larger than workers.
Days 3–8 Fed royal jelly Days 3–8 The larva is fed exclusively on royal jelly, which triggers queen development.
Days 3–6 Larval feeding Days 3–6 Nurse bees feed the larva royal jelly, then bee bread; it grows rapidly, molting several times.
Day 8 Queen cell capped Day 8 The queen cell is capped; the larva pupates.
Day 9 Cell capped Day 9 Workers cap the cell with wax; the larva spins a cocoon and becomes a pupa.
Days 9–21 Pupal development Days 9–21 Inside the capped cell the pupa transforms — eyes, wings, legs and organs develop.
Day 10 Drone cell capped Day 10 The cell is capped and the larva pupates.
Day 16 Virgin queen emerges Day 16 A virgin queen emerges, ~5 days sooner than a worker.
Days 21–23 Cleaning duties Days 21–23 The young worker cleans cells and the brood nest.
Day 21 Adult emerges Day 21 The fully formed adult worker chews through the cap and emerges.
Days 22–28 Mating flights Days 22–28 The young queen takes mating flights, mating with many drones in the air.
Days 23–28 Nurse bee Days 23–28 Feeds and cares for larvae using glands that produce royal jelly.
Day 24 Drone emerges Day 24 The adult drone emerges, ~3 days later than a worker.
Day 28+ Egg laying begins Day 28+ The mated queen returns and begins laying up to ~1,500 eggs per day.
Days 28–34 Wax & building Days 28–34 Wax glands mature; the bee builds and repairs comb.
Days 34–40 Guard duty Days 34–40 Guards the hive entrance against intruders before becoming a forager.
Up to ~3 yrs Years of laying Up to ~3 yrs The queen heads the colony, laying eggs for one to several years.
Days 36–40 Sexual maturity Days 36–40 Drones mature and begin flying to drone congregation areas.
Days 40+ Forager Days 40+ Leaves the hive to collect nectar, pollen and water until the end of its life.
Days 40–90 Mating or death Days 40–90 Drones mate with a queen (dying in the act) or are expelled from the hive before winter.