FROM EGG TO EMERGENCE

How a honey bee
grows into an adult.

Explore bee development from egg to adult. Compare queen, worker, and drone bees on the same clock, then move through the days to see what changes inside the hive.

Explore the life cycle

THE COLONY’S NURSERY

Bee development: queen, worker and drone.

Choose a bee, move the day slider, and compare what is happening side by side.

Queen~16 days

Egg stage

Raised in a special queen cell. After emergence, her central role is laying eggs and helping hold the colony together through queen pheromone.

Worker~21 days

Egg stage

Female bees that do most colony work: nursing, comb building, cleaning, guarding, nectar handling, and foraging.

Drone~24 days

Egg stage

Male bees develop from unfertilized eggs. Their main adult role is mating with a queen from another colony.

DAY0

A closer look inside a worker cell.

01 / EGG

Life starts in a single cell.

A tiny egg rests inside the comb.

IN THIS CELL

↔ Drag to explore the life cycleDay 0 of 24

Slide the gold handle to see how bees grow, day by day.

EggFeeding larvaCapped developmentAdult emerged

Days are approximate, counted from egg laying. Capped development includes the prepupal and pupal stages; temperature and colony conditions can change the timing.

AFTER EMERGENCE · LIFE IN THE COLONY

What adult bees do in the colony.

Growing into an adult is only the beginning. Choose a role to see how each bee contributes.

Explore an adult bee’s role

WorkerThe everyday work of the hiveQueenThe colony’s egg layerDroneA role in reproduction

WORKER · FROM HOUSE BEE TO FORAGER

Her work grows with her.

Workers begin inside the hive, then take on jobs closer to the entrance and beyond. Explore the usual progression below.

A CLOSER LOOK

Clean cells

New workers start by cleaning cells so the queen has polished places to lay new eggs.

Approximate days after adult emergence—not days from egg laying. Jobs overlap, and colony needs can change the pace.

QUEEN · CONTINUITY IN THE COLONY

The next generation begins with her.

The queen lays fertilized and unfertilized eggs and moves through the brood nest. Her pheromones provide an important signal within the colony.

Compare her development above

DRONE · BEYOND THE HOME HIVE

A different contribution.

A drone’s main adult role is mating with a queen from another colony. He does not forage or defend the hive.

Compare his development above

YOUR TURN · CHOOSE ONE ANSWER

It is day 18. Who has usually emerged?

Assume typical development from the day the eggs were laid.

Select an answer to reveal the explanation.