[Aim]  To investigate the effect of queen cell cup diameter on the artificial rearing of Apis cerana cerana queens. [Methods]  The effects of seven different cup diameters (6.0, 7.0, 8.0, 9.0, 10.0, 11.0, and 12.0 mm) on queen cell size, emergence rate, and initial queen body weight, were measured and compared. In addition, principal component analysis was used to compare the morphological characteristics of newly emerged queens from queen cell cups of various diameters. [Results]  Minimal differences in queen cell size had a significant impact on emergence rate and several morphological indices, such as metatarsus length, tibia length, longitudinal diameter of tergite 5, head length, head width and mandible width (P＜0.05). Queens reared in 7.0 mm queen cups had higher emergence rates, and queen cell cup size could be ranked with respect to queen body size as follows: 7.0 mm > 6.0 mm > 9.0 mm > 8.0 mm > 10.0 mm. [Conclusion]  7.0 mm diameter cups are the best for the artificial rearing of A. c. cerana queens.