Track this against your own hives - free, on the web and the App Store.
Where this comes from. The timings are the National Bee Unit’s, from Starting Right with Bees and from its best practice guideline on handling and examining a colony, reissued in October 2026. Sources at the foot of the page.
The year at a glance
- Spring: start regular inspections once it is warm enough for the bees to be flying. 1
- April to the end of July: about once a week, until the risk of swarming has passed. 1
- Autumn: the checks that get a colony ready for winter. 1
- Winter: do not open the hive unless it is warm, but check the food at least once a month. 1
Why every week in the swarming season
From April until late July, colonies need regular inspection to control swarming, and to make sure they have a queen and enough room for the growing bees and the honey. 1
A colony getting ready to swarm builds swarm cells: large, drooping cells round the bottom and sides of the brood frames. Once they are capped, and before the new queens come out, the old queen leaves with about half the bees. 1
A queen takes 16 days from egg to adult, against 21 for a worker. 1 Trying to stop a swarm by destroying every swarm cell is unlikely to work; Preventing swarming covers what does. 1
The first full inspection of the year
At the first full spring inspection, look for the queen present and laying, for any sign of disease, and at the varroa level, so you can treat if you need to. 1 The first inspection of the year goes through it.
A disease check at least twice a year
Whatever else you do, inspect for brood disease at least twice a year. 2 That means shaking the bees off the brood frames so you can see the brood. 1 How to inspect a hive shows how.
Winter checks
Keep checking through the winter. Do not open the hive unless it is warm, but check the food and keep it topped up, at least once a month. Starvation is a common cause of losing a colony, especially in early spring, when the bees use up the last of their stores and become active again. If in doubt, check: the bees will survive a very quick look at their food, but not starvation. 1
Winter checks also look for weather damage, and take less time than summer ones. 1 Starvation and emergency feeding covers what to do if the food is running out.
Always have a reason
Every inspection should have a purpose: space, swarming, stores, disease, the queen, or varroa. 2
The short version
- Spring: start once the bees are flying.
- April to late July: about once a week, to manage swarming.
- Brood disease: at least twice a year.
- Winter: do not open it unless it is warm, but check the food at least once a month.
- Every visit has a reason.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change - always check the current guidance on GOV.UK before relying on it.