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Where this comes from. The National Bee Unit’s best practice guidelines on spring checks, varroa, hygiene and obtaining bees, and its fact sheet on preparing for winter. The winter routine is from the British Beekeepers Association’s beekeeping year and two Scottish Beekeepers’ Association documents. Sources at the foot of the page.
Why now
With the hives closed up, winter is the time to plan. The British Beekeepers Association’s calendar puts starting to plan for next season, cleaning and repairing equipment, and catching up on reading in November. 1 The Scottish Beekeepers’ Association’s puts studying your hive records, and picking out possible breeding stock, in November, and making a list of the equipment you will need in December. 2
The season to come starts earlier than most people expect. Spring checks can begin in late February or early March on a day warm enough for the bees to be flying, and swarms can come as early as March or early April in warmer areas. 3 A plan made now is one you can actually act on then.
Read the season back
Go through each colony’s records and answer a few questions:
- Which colonies did well, and which struggled? Picking out the ones worth breeding from is a November job. 2
- How old is each queen? Write her year down.
- What did the varroa counts do, and did the treatments bring them down?
- Which colonies needed feeding, and how much?
What to record at an inspection sets out what is worth writing down next year, so the same questions are easier to answer.
Queens to replace
Colonies headed by young, prolific queens are generally less likely to swarm and often produce more honey. If a queen is older than two years, plan to replace her, and if she is particularly good, raise queens from her. 3 The National Bee Unit’s winter fact sheet suggests requeening a colony whose queen is more than two or three years old after the summer harvest. 4
Queens marked next year, 2027, take yellow, the colour for years ending in 2 and 7. 3
Comb to change
Brood comb should be replaced with fresh foundation at least every three years. 5 Note which colonies have the oldest, darkest comb now, and plan the change: early in the year, old or damaged frames moved to the side of the brood box can be replaced with clean drawn comb, if you have a supply. 3 How often to inspect a hive and the spring guides cover the timing.
A varroa plan for the year
- Monitor at least four times a year. 6
- February and March are a key time, to have the mite population as low as possible before the colony expands and the supers go on. 6
- Late spring is when husbandry methods such as drone brood removal or queen trapping usually fit best. 6
- Talk to the beekeepers near you about treating at the same time, because mites from collapsing colonies re-infest the colonies around them. 6
Your varroa treatment records have to be kept for at least five years, even once the colony has gone. 6 The veterinary medicines record covers what goes in it.
The kit list
- Drawn comb. An artificial swarm needs a supply of clean drawn brood comb, and with foundation instead you will have to feed heavily unless there is a strong flow. 3
- Spare hives. Hives must be bee-tight, water-tight and have parts that all interchange. Some suppliers reduce their prices in January. 7
- Second-hand kit: be cautious, because disease can be carried on used equipment for many years, and never use second-hand combs. 5
Hive tools and equipment covers cleaning and disinfecting what you already have.
If you are buying bees
Try not to buy bees from outside your area, because moving them can spread pests and diseases. Use a reputable supplier, examine the bees before you buy if you can, keep a record of the purchase, and register your bees on BeeBase. 8 Making up a nucleus sets out what a good nucleus looks like.
The short version
- November: read the records back. December: write the kit list.
- Queens over two years old: plan to replace them. Next year’s colour is yellow.
- Brood comb at least every three years. Note which colonies are due.
- Varroa: at least four counts, with February and March first.
- Spring checks can start in late February, and swarms can come in March.
This guide is general information, not legal advice. Rules change - always check the current guidance on GOV.UK before relying on it.