"Assuming a laying worker WAS a forager, the clock was already running. I know once their role changes, so does their lifespan, so I couldn't say it would remain as short... though I certainly wouldn't expect them to make it anywhere near that of a queen, and likely not even so long as a winter bee."
drjeseuss, are you saying that because their ovaries are no longer suppressed by queen and brood pheromones, they somehow acquire the attributes of a queen (ie, long life, an abundance of vitellogenin)? I could be mistaken, but I don't think that follows. Once they've given up the vitellogenin to become a worker, they have no way to regain it, as I understand what Randy Oliver has written on this subject, unless another bee feeds it back to them. Maybe if a house bee (which still has a good store of vitellogenin) became a laying worker, then your theory might hold true. Interesting thread this is.