Miscellaneous information for Beekeepers.
Bees lifecycle (in days from when egg is laid)
| Worker | Queen | Drone | |
| Hatching of Egg | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| First larval moult | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4 |
| Second larval moult | 4.5 | 4.5 | 5 |
| Third larval moult | 5.5 | 5.5 | 6 |
| Fourth larval moult | 6.5 | 6.5 | 7 |
| Sealing of cell | 8 to 9 | 9 | 12 |
| Spinning cocoon | 10 | 9 | 12 |
| Fifth larval moult to pupa | 11 | 10 | 14 |
| Emergence from cell | 21 | 16 | 24 |
| Ready to mate | - | 20 | 37 |
| Life Expectancy | 28 to 35 days, Autumn born bees often live through the winter | 2-3 years | Culled by females at end of summer. |
(Please note that climatic changes may be shortening maturation periods)
Metric frame data for popular hive types (rounded to nearest mm)
|
Frame Type |
Top Bar Length mm | Frame length mm | Frame depth mm |
| National Brood | 432 | 356 | 216 |
| National Shallow | 432 | 356 | 140 |
| National Short Lug | 394 | 356 | 216 |
| Modified Commercial | 438 | 406 | 254 |
| Langstroth Brood | 483 | 448 | 232 |
| Langstroth Shallow | 483 | 448 | 137 |
| Modified Dadant Brood | 483 | 448 | 286 |
| Modified Dadant Shallow | 483 | 448 | 159 |
No responsibility is accepted for any erroneous information contained on this site !