© Start to Finish published by Don Johnston Inc Working Together | The Gold Bug Lesson 10 Timeline egg The queen bee lays her eggs. Each egg is placed into its own little nest, called a cell. larva A few days later, the egg hatches. Out comes a larva. The larva stays in its cell, but it needs food to grow. Worker bees bring food to the larva. pupa Next, the larva wraps itself in a cover called a cocoon. Inside the cocoon, the larva becomes a pupa (a young bee). This change is called metamorphosis. adult bee The pupa is now an adult bee. It has wings, eyes and six legs. It comes out of the cell. Some bees live for six weeks. Some live for a few years. Day 1 Day 9 Days 16-23 Day 3 The Life Cycle of a Honey Bee A queen bee lays about 2000 eggs each day! Soon, those eggs will become more bees. Let’s look at the steps along the way — the life cycle of a honey bee. egg larva cell cocoon pupa adult