how long does it take for drones to mature?

[pistolpete]

I have a hive that is quite strong coming out of winter.  The snow has been gone for two weeks and already they have 2 deep boxes of bees and brood (with only frames 1 and 10 not occupied.)   The queen is 12 months old.   In other words they are prime for a swarm.   I plan on pulling a 5 frame Nuc with the old queen and using the OTS method to let the big hive rear a queen.  On last inspection there were no drones in the hive, but a few dozen capped drone brood.  This week I'd expect the first drones have emerged, but none are flying.   How long will it take for these drones to get sexually mature.   

What I'm really asking is what's the earliest I can rear a quality queen from this hive.  We are still at least 2 weeks away from seeing the first dandelion.

[LazyBkpr]

 Pete.. I have read four days, and i have read a week after emerging..
   I would try to wait until that flow started in earnest to get the maximum return on stored honey. If you are seeing capped drone cells, you should be safe if you do it when you see those yellow wonderful weeds popping flowers out.

[G3farms]

I have always been told when the drones are in the purple eye stage.

Open one of the drone cells and take a look see, his eyes will have a purple tint to them.

[pistolpete]

I had another look at this hive today.  The queen is laying like a champion and there were a few drones in the hive (none flying).  I was planning on selling her with a Nuc, but I just can't let go of a queen like this one.   So now my plan is to remove this queen in about one week and give her a couple of frames of brood and lots of drawn comb to lay in.   Once the parent hive has re-queened itself, I will pull brood from the Nuc on an ongoing basis and bolster the parent hive to pull in a bumper crop of honey.   This hive is so full, I may do two Nucs, one with the old queen and one with a surplus queen cell 10 days later.

[G3farms]

   This hive is so full, I may do two Nucs, one with the old queen and one with a surplus queen cell 10 days later.

If you wait until day 10 after the split to install a queen cell, you should find capped queen cells already in the split.

[pistolpete]

I think it takes a strong hive to raise the best queens, so the plan is to pull a couple of frames of brood and the old queen.  Then notch cells on two frames and 10 days later pull one of the frames with Q. cells and a couple more of brood  for the second Nuc.

[riverbee]

"How long will it take for these drones to get sexually mature."   

12-14 days after emergence.