Queen Rearing Calendar Tool for Beekeepers

Planning your queen rearing is essential for successful bee breeding and strong colonies. This interactive calendar helps you calculate all the key milestones from the day your breeder queen lays eggs, through grafting, capping, incubation, emergence, and mating flights. Whether you are a hobbyist or commercial beekeeper in the UK or abroad, this tool provides a simple timeline to guide your queen-rearing season.

Queen Rearing Calendar — Key Dates Gantt

Choose the date your breeder queen laid eggs (Day 1). The chart shows only the key dates as columns.

Queen Rearing — Frequently Asked Questions

Clear, practical answers for every stage — from eggs to harvest — plus incubator and cell-builder tips.

How long after eggs are laid can I start queen rearing?
Queen rearing starts from Day 1 (eggs laid) by the breeder queen. By Day 4, larvae are the ideal age to graft into queen cups.
Day 1Start
When should larvae be grafted for queen rearing?
Graft on Day 4. Larvae are newly hatched and most acceptable to nurse bees, giving you strong acceptance and uniform development.
Day 4Grafting
When are queen cells capped during rearing?
Most queen cells are capped on Day 8. After capping, pupation begins and cells should be handled gently and kept warm.
Day 8Capped
Can queen cells be placed into an incubator?
Yes. From about Day 10, capped cells can be moved to a temperature- and humidity-controlled incubator until emergence.
Day 10Incubator OK
When do virgin queens emerge?
Virgin queens typically emerge on Day 16. Check carefully to prevent multiple virgins from emerging together and fighting.
Day 16Emergence
When do queens take their mating flights?
Most will attempt mating flights around Day 20 in suitable weather with ample drones. Poor weather can delay flights.
Day 20Mating flights
How long does it take for a queen to mate?
By about Day 28 queens are usually fully mated. Weather and drone saturation may shift timelines by a few days.
Day 28Mated
When should a mated queen start laying eggs?
Expect to see eggs from a successfully mated queen around Day 32. Look for a consistent worker-cell laying pattern.
Day 32Laying
When can queens be safely harvested or sold?
From Day 35 onwards, queens with a solid pattern can be safely caged, introduced to colonies, or sold as mated stock.
Day 35Harvest
What temperature should a queen cell incubator be kept at?
Keep incubators at around 34.5 °C (94 °F) to mimic brood-nest conditions. Avoid swings; stability is key.
Incubator~34.5 °C
What humidity is best for incubating queen cells?
Aim for 70–80% RH. This prevents desiccation while allowing normal development and emergence.
Incubator70–80% RH
How long before grafting should I set up a cell builder colony?
Prepare a strong queenless cell builder at least 24 hours before grafting. Many beekeepers allow up to 48 hours for peak acceptance.
Cell builder24–48 hrs