Free beekeeping tool · ApiNote
Plan your queen-rearing series with dates you can act on.
Start with the transferred egg or larva, then use the estimated timeline to plan acceptance checks, capping, cell removal and expected emergence. It follows the same biological anchors as the queen-rearing timeline in ApiNote.
A free tool from ApiNote
Your starting point
Your estimated dates
10 Sept 2026 → 23 Sept 2026
- Estimated egg laying6 Sept 2026 · -4d
Calculated backwards from the selected brood age.
- Larva hatches9 Sept 2026 · -1d
About three days from egg laying; already past when grafting larvae.
- Grafting / transfer10 Sept 2026 · Transfer day
Your selected start date. Brood development has already begun.
- Check acceptance12 Sept 2026 · +2d
Planning check two days after transfer. Adapt checks to your rearing method.
- Estimated cell capping14 Sept 2026 · +4d
Planning anchor: eight days from laying. Capping is commonly described around days eight to nine; inspect actual development.
- Pupal development16 Sept 2026 · +6d
Around day ten from laying. Avoid shocks, chilling and unnecessary handling of developing cells.
- Plan cell distribution20 Sept 2026 · +10d
Planning anchor: day fourteen from laying, two days before the estimated emergence anchor. Confirm cell maturity and adjust for older brood or earlier development.
- Queen nearing emergence21 Sept 2026 · +11d
Around day fifteen from laying. An earlier emergence is possible; distribution should already be arranged.
- Expected queen emergence22 Sept 2026 · +12d
Estimated days sixteen to seventeen from laying, not a guarantee. Emergence does not mean the queen is mated or laying.
An estimate, not a deadline. Brood age and colony conditions can shift development. Queens may emerge earlier than shown. Check the actual cells and arrange their distribution before emergence; do not wait until the end of the window.
Exports four all-day entries: acceptance, capping, cell distribution and the emergence window. This is a snapshot, not a live subscription. Set notifications in your calendar app; repeated imports may create duplicates.
How this calendar calculates the dates
Biology & practical guidance
The transfer date is day zero for your work, not day zero of the queen’s life. The tool subtracts the selected brood age to estimate egg laying. For larvae, it also subtracts the three-day egg stage.
The planning model matches ApiNote: acceptance at transfer +2 days; capping at egg laying +8 days; pupation +10; cell distribution +14; queen nearing emergence +15; expected emergence +16 to +17 days. These are planning anchors, not instructions to open or move cells on a fixed schedule.
The app uses noon on the transfer date. Age ranges use representative values: larvae 6, 18, 30 or 42 hours since hatching; eggs 12, 24 or 48 hours since laying. Only calendar dates are displayed. Changing an age band can move a date by a day.
Queen development is commonly around sixteen days from egg laying. Sources differ in day numbering and some intermediate timings. Uncertain age and conditions matter more than the precision of a printed date. Mating and the start of egg laying are deliberately not predicted here.
ApiNote · Before you use the plan
Answers before you start
How many days after grafting does a queen emerge?
It depends on the age of the larva. A queen commonly emerges around sixteen days after egg laying. Grafting a larva about a day after hatching means roughly twelve more days, rather than sixteen days from grafting. Always allow for biological variation.
Can I start from eggs instead of larvae?
Yes. Select Eggs, enter the date they are transferred into your rearing setup and choose their estimated age since laying. For larvae, choose the age since hatching. This tool does not plan queen confinement or cell-starter preparation.
Will the exported dates update automatically?
No. The .ics file is a snapshot of four planned milestones. Import it into a calendar that supports iCalendar files. If you change the inputs later, review or replace the old entries yourself. Notifications depend on your calendar settings.
Does this create a breeding series in ApiNote?
No. The free web tool works without an account and does not send a plan to the app. In ApiNote you can create a series with the same starting inputs, connect the breeder queen and cell-builder colony, record counts and select milestone tasks.