First-year beekeeping season planner
Generate a month-by-month first-year beekeeping plan tailored to your climate, start date and number of hives.
Tell us about your first season
Choose when you expect to install your first colony.
Your first-year calendar
Month-by-month focus areas. Adjust timing with your local mentor and weather; use it as a scaffold, not a rigid rule.
Packages and nucs thrive in spring or early summer, so the plan starts March instead.
Month 1 - March
Early buildup and queen work
- Inspection focus: Short 7-10 day walks to confirm the queen is laying and stores are building.
- Give new colonies steady feed while they draw comb and the queen settles into laying.
- Install the package quickly, keep feeders full, and let the bees draw comb without heavy handling.
Month 2 - April
Growth and swarm awareness
- Inspection focus: Watch for queen cups and keep the brood nest centered.
- Push brood room outward, keep ventilation steady, and spot early queen cells before they pop.
- Do a baseline varroa count after the bees settle and log your preferred method.
- Shift to a wider brood nest and keep supplemental feed handy while new comb matures.
Month 3 - May
Flow prep and mite tracking
- Inspection focus: Quick hive walks to verify stores and tipguards before the main nectar flow.
- Keep honey space ready, track nectar sources, and confirm the queen is stable before the main flow.
Month 4 - June
Flow management and ventilation
- Inspection focus: Weekly checks on brood pattern, ventilation, and swarm cells.
- Balance flow-time inspections with plenty of ventilation and ready space for nectar.
- Check mites again during early spring buildup and note any queen cell activity.
Month 5 - July
Peak hive care and honey decisions
- Inspection focus: Track frame coverage, keep brood nests even, and avoid heavy lifting.
- Keep an eye on stores, climb the brood boxes gently, and pause before removing honey.
Month 6 - August
Late summer consolidation
- Inspection focus: Shift to fast, focused visits so harvesting and varroa work stay efficient.
- Shift focus to late-flow clean-up, keep splits tight, and keep lids loose for cooling.
- Mid-season lift: confirm your treatment decisions by comparing mite counts between colonies.
Month 7 - September
Transition to fall and wrap up honey
- Inspection focus: Inspect for stores, varroa symptoms, and plan any treatments.
- Transition into fall care, finish honey harvest, and guard against robbing.
- Lock in winter feed plans, treat varroa if needed, and seal cracks against robbing.
Month 8 - October
Store checks and mite treatments
- Inspection focus: Check feed levels, tighten entrances, and keep moisture low.
- Check stores, treat for mites, and close gaps so robbers cannot sneak in.
- Run a late summer mite check and adjust treatments for the fall window.
- Lock in winter feed plans, treat varroa if needed, and seal cracks against robbing.
Month 9 - November
Winter sealing and final feed
- Inspection focus: Finish with a thorough stationary check before hiding the hives for winter.
- Plan winter wraps, move feeders into place, and cut wide lids for ventilation.
- Lock in winter feed plans, treat varroa if needed, and seal cracks against robbing.
Month 10 - December
Early winter checks and moisture control
- Inspection focus: Skip full lifts; limit checks to hefting and lid breathing on mild afternoons.
- Limit visits to quick hefts or window checks until weather eases.
- Pre-winter check: look at mite trends and commit to your winter strategy.
Month 11 - January
Mid-winter weigh-ins and ventilation review
- Inspection focus: Monitor crownboard gaps, trap condensation, and jot any changes.
- Keep hive entrances clear, monitor moisture, and log changes while leaning on external checks.
- Confirm mite levels after the final treatment and before winter.
- Keep crowns and lids vented, and log any condensation to avoid damp frames.
Month 12 - February
Late winter planning for early spring
- Inspection focus: Plan the spring inspection so you know what to open when the weather warms.
- Review your notes, sharpen gear, and plan the first spring inspections carefully.
Your first season doesn’t have to be a blur of random inspections and YouTube videos. This planner turns your first year (and a bit) into a clear, month-by-month roadmap tuned to your climate and start date.
Tell us about your first season
Hemisphere
So we know when spring, summer and winter happen for your bees.
- North
- South
Climate zone
A simple way to describe your weather:
- Cold – long winters, short intense season
- Temperate – four seasons, moderate winters
- Warm – short or mild winters, long active season
Start date
When do you expect to install your first colony (package, nuc or full hive)?
Pick an approximate date – the planner will build the schedule from there.
Start type
- Package
- Nuc
- Established colony
Number of hives
How many hives are you starting with this season? (Up to about 10 for first-year use.)
What do you want this year?
Your priorities
Choose what matters most to you:
- Keep colonies healthy and alive through winter (recommended default)
- Get some surplus honey if conditions allow
- Learn core beekeeping skills step by step
- Avoid overcrowding and swarming in a small apiary
Your experience level
- Complete beginner
- Read a lot but little hands-on experience
- Some hands-on experience already
We’ll use this to adjust how detailed and “busy” your plan is. Complete beginners get fewer, clearer tasks; more confident beekeepers see more optional work.
Your first-year calendar
You’ll see your season laid out from your start date through the next 12–18 months, grouped by month.
For each month, you get:
-
Short overview
What the month is mainly about in your climate (build-up, space management, flow, dearth, winter prep…). -
Inspection focus
What to look for in the brood nest, food stores, queen performance and space. -
Key tasks
3–7 bullet points: feed / don’t feed, add or remove boxes, prepare equipment, monitor varroa, and so on. -
“Watch out for” notes
Short warnings about typical risks that month: cold snaps, robbing, swarming, wasps, etc.
Example (illustrative only):
May – building up before the main flow
– Inspect each hive every 7–10 days.
– Check that queens are laying in a solid pattern.
– Make sure colonies are not honey-bound; add space if brood nest is squeezed.
– Monitor varroa at least once this month using your chosen method.
– Add supers only when frames are well covered with bees.
You can scroll through the calendar online, or generate a printable version.
Download a printable playbook (optional)
If you want a version you can keep in the bee shed, you can download a PDF playbook that includes:
- your start date, climate and hive details,
- your month-by-month plan,
- a simple checklist for each month,
- space to write your own notes and observations.
We’ll ask for your email to send the file and let you know when we improve the planner or release new first-year resources.
How this planner works
This planner is designed for real-world hobby and small-scale beekeepers – not ideal textbook seasons.
It:
- focuses on temperate and cold climates first, where winter matters a lot;
- uses your start date to work out whether you’re starting early, mid- or late season;
- keeps the monthly tasks short and realistic, especially if you’re a beginner.
It does not:
- replace local advice about your weather, forage or regulations;
- guarantee honey, even if you tick all the boxes;
- fully cover advanced topics like queen rearing, heavy splitting or migratory beekeeping.
Think of it as a simple scaffold. You and your bees will still fill in the details.
FAQ
Can I use this if I’m starting with more than 10 hives?
You can, but the plan is tuned for small first-year apiaries. If you’re starting bigger than that, you probably already have local mentors and more complex logistics.
Does this planner tell me exact dates?
No. It works in months and “early / mid / late” in the season. Weather and forage vary too much for exact dates to be useful.
Is this valid for tropical climates?
It’s built primarily around temperate and cold climates. If you’re in a very warm or tropical region, some ideas may still help, but treat them as general principles.
Will this handle varroa treatments for me?
It will remind you to monitor and consider varroa during certain months, but detailed varroa strategy lives in the Varroa Strategy Planner and varroa playbook.
Related tools & resources
- Feeding & Syrup Planner – see how much and when to feed during your first year.
- Varroa Strategy Planner – add a realistic varroa control plan on top of your calendar.
- Hive Inspection Checklist Generator – generate specific checklists for individual visits.
From the blog: