Your Beekeeping Year at a Glance
All important tasks from January to December — clearly sorted by category. Never miss an inspection or treatment again.
Winter check
Check entrance for blockages from dead bees or snow. Only inspect from outside.
Check food reserves
Estimate hive weight by carefully lifting. At least 5 kg of food reserves needed.
Oxalic acid follow-up treatment
If not done in December: Apply oxalic acid by trickling during the broodless period.
Prepare frames & supers
Clean frames, wire foundation, prepare new equipment for spring.
Check food reserves
Most critical month for food shortage. Prepare emergency feeding with fondant.
Wire foundation sheets
Prepare enough foundation sheets for the coming season.
Plan hive cleaning
Prepare spare hives and create a cleaning schedule for spring cleanup.
Location planning
Explore new locations, evaluate forage sources, clarify placement permits.
First spring inspection
Assess food reserves, brood pattern, and colony strength. Check for queenright status.
Check varroa boards
Debris diagnosis: Natural mite fall provides first clues about Varroa infestation.
Unite weak colonies
Merge too-weak colonies with strong ones. Better few strong than many weak.
Remove burr comb
Remove excess burr comb and old comb work from hives.
Second inspection
Thorough check: brood nest, colony strength, disease signs.
Insert drone frames
Use drone foundation frames as Varroa traps. Cut out after capping.
Add honey supers
Place honey supers with queen excluder on strong colonies.
Start swarm checks
Begin weekly swarm cell checks. Watch for queen cups.
Weekly swarm checks!
Most important task in May! Check every colony for swarm cells. Break queen cells or make splits.
Make splits
Increase colony numbers through nucleus colonies or artificial swarms. Channel swarming drive.
Expand honey supers
Add more honey supers in time. Bees need space for the nectar flow.
Mark queens
Mark unmarked queens with the year color for better overview.
Continue swarm checks
Swarming risk persists until summer solstice. Continue weekly inspections.
First honey harvest (spring flow)
Extract capped honey frames. Check moisture content (<18%).
Care for splits
Check nucleus colonies: queenright status, food reserves, development.
Varroa monitoring
Perform debris diagnosis. If >5 mites/day, plan treatment after harvest.
Summer honey harvest
Extract summer honey. Complete harvest before Varroa treatment.
Formic acid treatment
Start long-term formic acid treatment immediately after the last harvest.
Begin feeding
First feeding (3-5 liters sugar syrup 3:2) after harvest.
Queen check
Verify queenright status of all colonies. Requeen if necessary.
Feed for winter (15-20 kg/colony)
Build up winter food reserves. Target: 15-20 kg per colony by September.
Varroa treatment
Continue or repeat formic acid treatment. Check success via debris monitoring.
Unite weak colonies
Merge too-weak colonies with strong ones. Only strong colonies overwinter well.
Support young colonies
Feed nucleus colonies sufficiently and treat for Varroa.
Complete feeding
Final feeding by mid-September. No more feeding after that.
Install mouse guards
Place mouse guards over entrances before mice seek shelter.
Check wind protection
Secure hives against autumn storms. Check stability and covers.
Assess winter readiness
Final check: colony strength, food reserves, queenright status, Varroa levels.
Final food reserve check
Check hive weight. Apply fondant as emergency feed if needed.
Reduce entrance
Narrow the entrance to protect against robbing and wasps.
Record hive weights
Document all hive weights for comparison in spring.
Take inventory
Stock check: supers, frames, foundation, treatment supplies.
Winter rest begins
No interventions on colonies. Only observe from outside during cleansing flights.
Workshop: Build frames
Assemble frames, wire them, prepare foundation sheets.
Record keeping & colony book
Complete colony record book (EU requirement!). Year-end accounting for the apiary.
Education & courses
Attend beekeeping courses, read literature, participate in association meetings.
Oxalic acid winter treatment
Apply oxalic acid by trickling during the broodless period (late December). Most important Varroa treatment!
Year-end review
Evaluate harvest amounts, losses, and treatment results. Document insights.
Order honey labels
Design and order labels for the next season.
Plan next season
Plan colony numbers, locations, breeding goals, and investments for the next year.
Manage all tasks digitally
With Hivekraft, your beekeeping planner is always with you — plus digital hive cards, Varroa tracking, and more.