[dpula2]

We know that bee emerges from the cell after 21 days and that it takes 2 weeks for a bee to become a forager.

If my honey collection date is around July 15, that would mean that by the first week of June I would need to have all frames in the brood chamber cover with brood in order to expect any good honey collection?

 

[JWPalmer]

I figure four weeks from emergence to becoming a forager. After that, the bee will live another two to three weeks depending on how many miles she flies. You want your hive to be packed with newly emerged bees about one month before your main flow kicks in. Our flow here in the RVA only lasts about six weeks so lots of bees early on is crucial to a decent honey crop.