How long does it take for a honeybee egg to develop into an adult bee?

A honeybee egg typically takes about 21 days to develop into an adult bee. This development process includes several stages: the egg stage, which lasts for about three days, followed by the larval stage, where the bee is fed by nurse bees and undergoes significant growth for about six days. After the larval stage, the bee enters the pupal stage, which lasts approximately 12 days. Once these stages are completed, the adult bee emerges from the cell.

This comprehensive timeline is key in understanding the life cycle of honeybees and their developmental needs. The other options provided are not accurate representations of this timeline. Ten days is far too short, while 14 days is still less than the actual development time. Likewise, 28 days exceeds the typical duration for this process, making 21 days the correct and well-established answer in the study of bee biology.