sorry, that should have read
"it may be taken for a fact that unless and until the bees add food to the eggs they will not hatch".

I found evidence to the contrary, in any case: 

Lineburg (1925) and Weiss (1960) found that complete hatching (total removal of the egg shell) takes place only after the eggs have been "wetted," that is, the addition of larval food brings about freeing of the chorion from the newly emerged larva. DuPraw (1960), however, considered the addition of food unnecessary for this process. The present writer confirms Du Praw's findings ...

Dietz, Alfred. "The effects of position on hatching of honey bee eggs in the laboratory." Journal of Economic Entomology 57.3 (1964): 392-395.

PLB

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