Spring Beekeeping Guide: Month-by-Month Tasks

What's Happening in the Hive

Spring is the season of transformation. Your colony shifts from survival mode to explosive reproduction, and understanding this biology helps you manage effectively.

The colony's spring agenda:

Replace winter bees: The long-lived "winter bees" that kept the cluster alive are dying off. New spring bees emerge to replace them.
Ramp up brood production: The queen accelerates laying from a few hundred eggs/day to 1,500-2,000/day at peak.
Build workforce for the flow: Nectar is coming. The colony needs foragers ready to collect it.
Reproduce (swarm): Biologically, colonies want to split. Your job is to manage this impulse.

The danger zone: In early spring, the colony is at its most vulnerable. Winter stores are depleted, the population is at its lowest (before new bees emerge), and cold snaps can kill. This is when starvation claims colonies that almost made it.

Early Spring (March): First Checks

When to do your first inspection: Wait for a day that's at least 55°F (13°C) with low wind. You're not doing a deep dive—just confirming the basics.

March Inspection Goals

✓ Is the colony alive? Activity at the entrance? Bees flying?
✓ Is the queen present? Look for eggs (one per cell, standing up). Finding eggs = queen was alive 3 days ago.
✓ How are stores? Heft the hive. Light = feed immediately. You want 15-20 lbs of honey remaining.
✓ Brood pattern? Solid and compact = healthy. Spotty = possible disease or failing queen.
✓ Dead bees on bottom board? Normal in spring. Clean them out for hygiene.

Don't over-inspect: It's tempting to dig deep, but every minute with the hive open bleeds heat. Do quick, focused checks in early spring.

Emergency feeding: If the colony is light on stores and nectar isn't flowing yet, feed 1:1 sugar syrup (equal parts sugar and water by weight). This stimulates brood production and prevents starvation.

Mid-Spring (April): Explosive Growth

April is when things get exciting—and hectic. The colony's population explodes, and swarm preparations begin.

What's happening:

First major pollen sources (maple, willow, dandelion) trigger brood ramp-up
Drones appear (the males needed for mating)
Population grows rapidly—can double in a month
Congestion triggers swarm impulse

⚠️ April Management Tasks

Reverse brood boxes (Langstroth): Move the bottom box to top, top to bottom. This redistributes space and delays swarming.
Add supers early: Better too early than too late. If the brood nest is 80% drawn out, add space.
First mite count: Do an alcohol wash. If >1% (3 mites per 300 bees), treat before the population explodes.
Install packages/nucs: Late March through April is prime time for new colonies.

Inspect weekly: During April and May, you need to check for swarm cells every 7-10 days. A colony can go from "thinking about swarming" to "gone" in under two weeks.

Late Spring (May): Swarm Season Peak

May is peak swarm season in most of North America. It's also when the nectar flow really kicks in.

Your May priorities:

Swarm checks every 7-10 days: Look for queen cells (peanut-shaped, usually on frame bottoms or edges)
Super management: Add supers before they're needed. A honey-bound brood nest triggers swarming.
Split if necessary: If you see swarm cells, consider splitting the colony yourself
Monitor for disease: Rapid brood expansion can reveal AFB or EFB

Signs a swarm is imminent:

Queen cells with larvae or capped cells
Bearding at the entrance (bees hanging out in clumps)
Reduced foraging activity (bees know they're leaving)
Colony feels "congested" with no empty cells

Swarm Prevention Strategies

You can't completely prevent swarming—it's the colony's reproductive imperative. But you can manage the impulse:

Swarm Prevention Toolbox

1. Give them space (before they need it)

Add supers when the current boxes are 70-80% full. Don't wait until they're 100% packed.

2. Reverse brood boxes

In a two-deep setup, swap the positions of the boxes in early spring. This moves the cluster down and gives them "room to grow" upward.

3. Checkerboarding

Alternate empty drawn frames with full frames above the brood nest. The open space above discourages swarm prep.

4. Make splits

If you see swarm cells, split the colony yourself. You get a new hive; they don't leave.

5. Young queens

Colonies with first-year queens are less likely to swarm. Requeening in fall can help.

What NOT to do: Don't just destroy queen cells and hope for the best. If the swarm impulse is strong, they'll make new cells within days. Address the root cause (usually space or congestion).

Spring Feeding: When and How

When to feed:

Light colonies (heft test reveals low weight)
New packages or nucs that need to draw wax
Before the nectar flow starts, to stimulate brood production
During cold snaps that prevent foraging

What to feed:

1:1 sugar syrup (1 lb sugar : 1 lb water) — Mimics nectar, stimulates wax production
Pollen patties — Protein for brood rearing, especially early spring before pollen is available

When to STOP feeding: Once the nectar flow starts (bees will ignore syrup anyway) or when you add honey supers. You don't want sugar syrup in your honey crop.

Your First Spring Inspection: Step by Step

Wait for good weather: 55°F+, low wind, sunny if possible
Light your smoker: Give a few puffs at the entrance, wait 30 seconds
Remove outer and inner cover: Smoke lightly across the top bars
Check food stores: Outer frames first—honey? pollen?
Find the brood nest: Work toward the center
Look for eggs: Stand with sun over your shoulder, tilt frame to catch light. Eggs = queen present.
Assess brood pattern: Solid = healthy. Spotty = investigate further.
Check for disease: Sunken cappings? Discolored larvae? Foul smell?
Note colony strength: How many frames of bees? Strong enough to expand?
Close up: Replace frames gently, avoid rolling bees

Regional Adjustments

Spring timing varies dramatically by location:

Region	First Inspection	Swarm Season	Main Flow
Southeast	Late Feb	Mar–Apr	Mar–May
Northeast/Midwest	Late Mar–Apr	May–June	May–July
Pacific Northwest	Mar–Apr	Apr–May	June (blackberry)
Southwest/Desert	Feb	Mar–Apr	Mar–May (cactus)

Spring Beekeeping Checklist

Print this and check off as you go:

☐ First warm-day inspection complete
☐ Queen confirmed (eggs present)
☐ Food stores assessed; fed if necessary
☐ Bottom board cleaned
☐ First alcohol wash for mites
☐ Mite treatment applied if >1%
☐ Brood boxes reversed (if applicable)
☐ Supers added before flow
☐ Weekly swarm checks started
☐ Entrance reducer removed (when temps stable)
☐ Equipment cleaned and ready
☐ New packages/nucs installed

Spring Beekeeping Guide

🌱 Spring Priorities

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