Queen Rearing Schedule

A queen rearing calendar plans, day by day and counting the grafting day as day zero, when cells are capped, when ripe cells are distributed, when queens emerge and when they start laying. Because development times are biologically fixed, the calendar is built on these constants; a slip of a single day can mean losing an entire batch. Below you will find a workable schedule both for a single batch and for continuous production over the season.

How many days does it take for a queen to emerge?

The development times of the three castes of honey bee are well known and form the basis of the calendar:

Grafting uses a freshly hatched larva, i.e. one about 4 days after the egg was laid. That leaves about 11–12 days from grafting to emergence. Counted from the egg the cell is capped on day 8–9; counted from grafting it is capped on about day 5. The widespread claim that "cells are capped eight days after grafting" comes from mixing up these two ways of counting.

Day-by-day calendar from grafting to laying

How do you know the age of larvae in the breeder colony?

To know larval age rather than guess it, give the breeder queen an empty comb on a specific date. Once she has laid in that comb, the grafting day can be calculated: about 4 days after laying, the comb will contain tiny, freshly hatched larvae floating in plenty of jelly at the bottom of the cells.

• Choosing the comb: A light brown comb in which brood has been raised once or twice reflects light well and makes the larvae easier to see.
• Confining the queen: Keeping the queen on that comb for a day or two with a frame cage or excluder ensures the eggs are all the same age.
• The right larva: Choose a crescent-shaped larva a little bigger than a pinhead, floating in a pool of jelly that fills the cell base. A larva that reaches the sides of the cell and has closed into a full "C" is too old.

Why distribute on day 10? The critical days

There are two critical points in the calendar. The first is the few days after capping (roughly days 6–9 after grafting): the larva spins its cocoon and turns into a pupa, and at this stage it is most sensitive to jolting, being turned upside down and chilling. The second is emergence day: the first queen to emerge tears open the other cells from the side and kills her rivals inside.

The safe window between these two dangers is day 10. By then the pupa has hardened, can withstand careful handling, and emergence is still a day or two away. If weather or workload means distribution cannot happen on day 10, fit protective cages to the cells at the end of day 9 or move them into an incubator.

In which months are queens reared? Planning the season

The yearly side of the calendar depends on the climate; rather than dates, look at the following conditions:

• Drones must be mature: Don't do the first graft until capped drone brood and flying drones are seen in colonies.
• Forage must be coming in: Incoming nectar and fresh pollen increase acceptance and cell size; if forage has stopped, regular feeding is essential.
• Weather must be mild and calm: Mating flights need sunny, windless, warm afternoons.
• Don't leave it to the end of the season: A late-mated queen needs time to raise enough young workers before winter; stop rearing when drones are being expelled.

In Türkiye, mid-spring in coastal and low-lying areas, and late spring to early summer in inland and high regions, are usually the most productive periods; the main midsummer nectar flow is also a good opportunity for rearing.

How do you set up a continuous production schedule?

To get queens regularly throughout the season, grafts are repeated at set intervals. The most common pattern is batches at weekly or 3–4-day intervals.

1. Starter cycle: The starter is prepared afresh for each batch, or a different starter is used for each graft; the same colony is not kept queenless continuously.
2. Finisher cycle: In a queenright finisher, a new batch can be added once the previous batch is capped; not having two open batches at the same time protects feeding quality.
3. Mating nuc cycle: After a laying queen is removed, the nuc is left for a day and then given a new ripe cell. The number of nucs sets the weekly production target.
4. Continuous drones: Give drone comb to the drone colonies at intervals throughout the season so that the supply of mature drones never runs out.

What should a rearing record include?

• Grafting date and batch number (also written on the frame).
• Breeder colony and the comb the larvae came from.
• Number of cells grafted and accepted (acceptance rate).
• Distribution date and the number of the nuc each cell went to.
• Emergence and laying dates and a note on the brood pattern.
• The weather and forage conditions at the time.

A drop in the acceptance rate, or consistently poor results from a particular breeder, can only be spotted thanks to these records. A paper notebook, a spreadsheet or a hive-record app all work; what matters is that every batch can be traced.