How tough are queen cells?

[bugleman]

I hope the new queens I grafted perservere despite my best efforts to drop cells and bang cell bars around.

Really, queen cell bars should not be handled with gloves.

I am getting better at rearing queens and it only took a year to figure it out  . 

[Michael Bush]

Queens are fragile all along the way... especially at the end as their wings are developing...

Queen cells vary from newly built ones soft as putty, to ones about to emerge that are fairly tough...