What should I do for my hives in spring?
On the first warm day, check the colony has a laying queen, enough food, and room to expand — in that order. Clear dead bees from the floor, replace old comb, and add space before they need it. Spring is when colonies starve most often, because brood rearing burns stores faster than early forage replaces them.
Step by step
- Hive tool
- Smoker
- Clean spare comb or foundation
- Wait for a calm, still day warm enough for the bees to be flying — around 14°C or above — so the brood is never chilled.
- Confirm the colony is queenright by finding eggs or young larvae. Do this first; everything else depends on it.
- Check the stores by hefting the back of the hive. More colonies starve in early spring than in midwinter, because brood rearing burns honey faster than early forage replaces it.
- Clear the dead bees off the floor and swap out the oldest, blackest combs for clean ones.
- Add space before the colony needs it, and start the seven-to-ten day inspection rhythm that carries you through swarm season.
The full lesson
The first step of spring care is to monitor bee flights and pollen intake outside the hive when the temperature reaches 14 degrees celsius. When the hive cover is open for the first time, winter debris and dead bees are quickly cleaned to ensure colony hygiene.
The presence of the queen bee, the heart of the hive, and the density of varroa mites must be checked without delay. Look for a consistent capped brood pattern and upright, tiny fresh eggs in the cells to evaluate the queen's performance.
As brood activity accelerates, food consumption skyrockets. Inspect if there are adequate honey and pollen frames left. To help bees heat the brood area easily, remove empty and empty frames and tighten the colony using a follower board.
Until nectar flows naturally, feed the colony a one-to-one, one-to-one, thin sugar syrup to stimulate the queen to lay more eggs. Before the honey season starts, perform a thorough varroa treatment using organic or approved treatments for healthy brood.
To feed the larvae and regulate hive humidity, the bees' access to clean water must be guaranteed during spring. As the population grows and the hive gets crowded, expand the space by adding newly drawn combs next to the brood nest. I'm just...
This lesson is also in the app, along with the other twenty-nine.
Next lessons
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1:40Lessons and forum answers describe beekeeping practice and peer experience, not veterinary guidance. Treatment thresholds, inspection timing and disease management vary by climate, subspecies and local regulation. Diseases that are notifiable where you live must be reported to your national bee inspectorate.