What is a gestation for a bee?

The gestation period for bees varies depending on the species and the role of the bee within the colony. For honeybees, the queen lays eggs that develop into larvae over about three days. The larvae then undergo a pupation stage for roughly 12 days before emerging as adult bees, making the total development time around 16 days for workers and 24 days for drones. In general, the complete lifecycle from egg to adult can take anywhere from 21 to 24 days.