Beekeeping Calendar: A Month-by-Month Schedule for Every US Region

A beekeeping calendar tells you what your colonies are doing each month and what you should be doing for them. The catch is that a hive in Minnesota and a hive in Tampa live in different worlds: one spends four months clustered in the cold, the other raises brood almost all year and struggles most in August. So this calendar is split into four US climate regions, each with its own month-by-month schedule.

Each month lists the colony’s state, main jobs, varroa checks, feeding and what to watch for. A printable checklist and FAQ follow. It is free to share with your club.

How to use this calendar

Bees follow plants and temperature, not dates. Treat every month below as a rough guide. An early spring can put your colonies three weeks ahead; a cold, wet May can hold them back just as far. The signals that matter are what is blooming near your apiary and how warm the days are.

• Temperature cues. Honey bees fly freely once it is above about 50–55 °F (10–13 °C). The winter cluster starts to form around 57 °F (14 °C). A full inspection, with frames pulled out, is best kept to calm days of 60 °F (16 °C) or warmer so the brood does not chill.
• Plant cues. Red maple and willow bloom signal the start of brood build-up. Dandelion and fruit bloom mean swarm season is weeks away. The end of the main flow marks the start of the summer dearth, robbing season and the most important mite checks of the year.

We use USDA Plant Hardiness Zones to group regions because most gardeners and beekeepers already know their zone. Zones are based on average winter low temperature, so they are good at predicting winter length and only rough at predicting summer. Elevation and local forage can shift you a region either way: a beekeeper at 7,000 feet in Colorado should follow the Cold North schedule. Use this calendar alongside your state extension service and local club.

The four regions at a glance

Pacific Northwest note: Seattle and Portland are zone 8 because winters are mild, but their cool, wet springs behave more like the Temperate / Mid schedule, so follow that one from March to October.

Varroa: the same rules in every region

Varroa mites are a leading cause of colony loss in the US, and timing your mite work matters more than any other job here. The rules are the same everywhere; only the months change.

• Monitor, do not guess. Take a mite count with an alcohol wash or sugar roll of about 300 bees (roughly half a cup) from a brood frame. Count at least monthly while the colony has brood, and every two to three weeks in late summer. Our guide to taking and reading a varroa mite count walks through both methods.
• Treat per label when you are above threshold. Many extension programs use about 2–3 mites per 100 bees as a treatment trigger in summer and fall, and a lower bar in spring, when the mite population has all season to grow. Check the current Honey Bee Health Coalition varroa guide or your state apiarist for the numbers they recommend.
• Protect the winter bees. The long-lived bees that carry a colony through winter (or through the southern summer dearth) are raised in late summer and fall. Mite loads need to be low before those bees are reared, which is why late summer is the most important window on every calendar below.
• Use broodless periods. Most mites hide under capped brood. When a colony has little or no brood (early winter in the north, after a swarm, or after a split), a label-approved treatment reaches almost all of them.

For product options and how the main treatments differ, see our roundup of varroa mite treatments. Always follow the label for temperature limits and whether honey supers can stay on.

Cold North calendar (zones 3–5)

Short, intense seasons. The main flow is compressed into June and July, mite control must finish early, and winter prep starts in August.

For northern winter setups, see how to prepare beehives for winter and our guide to winter beehive insulation.

Temperate / Mid calendar (zones 6–7)

A longer season with a strong spring flow (fruit trees, black locust, tulip poplar, clover), a summer slowdown and a fall flow on goldenrod and aster. The two danger points are late-winter starvation, when colonies are rearing brood on dwindling stores, and mites in August and September.

For the spring side of this schedule in more depth, read how to get your beehives ready for spring and our guide to swarm control and management.

Warm South calendar (zones 8–9a)

Winter is short and mild; colonies keep a small brood nest most of the year and build up as early as January. Swarm season comes in March and April. The hard stretch is the summer dearth, roughly July through September in many areas, when heat, robbing, small hive beetles and rising mite loads all arrive together.

Southern beekeepers should know how to spot and manage small hive beetles; warm, humid summers suit them and a weak colony can be overrun quickly.

Hot Gulf & Southwest calendar (zones 9b–11)

South Florida and the low deserts of Arizona and southern California look nothing alike, but their bee year has the same shape: there is no real winter, brood rearing rarely stops, the main flows come in late winter and spring (citrus, then mesquite, palo verde and cactus in the desert), and summer is the season to survive. Heat, long dearths and year-round mite reproduction are the challenges. Parts of this region also have Africanized honey bees, so defensive colonies should be requeened with known gentle stock, and hives kept well away from neighbors and animals.

Feeding notes for every region

• 1:1 syrup (equal parts sugar and water) in spring and during dearths.
• 2:1 syrup (two parts sugar to one of water) in fall, to build stores with less water to evaporate.
• Solid feed (fondant, sugar bricks) in cold weather, when bees cannot take syrup.
• Never feed with honey supers on, or syrup ends up in your harvest.

Feeder style affects robbing risk; our comparison of the best bee feeders covers the main types.

Printable beekeeping checklist

Print this and keep it in your bee box. Match each stage to your region’s months above.

Late winter (before the first bloom)

• ☐ Heft every hive from the back; feed solid sugar if light
• ☐ Keep entrances clear of snow and dead bees
• ☐ Order packages, nucs, queens and equipment
• ☐ Clean, repair and paint spare boxes and frames

Spring build-up

• ☐ First full inspection on a calm 60 °F day: queen, eggs, brood pattern, stores
• ☐ First mite count of the season
• ☐ Reverse boxes or add space before the brood nest is crowded
• ☐ Remove mouse guards and winter wraps
• ☐ Feed 1:1 syrup to light colonies, packages and nucs only

Swarm season and main flow

• ☐ Inspect every 7–10 days for queen cells
• ☐ Make splits from strong colonies
• ☐ Add supers when 7 of 10 frames are drawn and busy
• ☐ Monthly mite count
• ☐ Harvest only capped honey

Dearth and late summer

• ☐ Reduce entrances; never leave honey or syrup exposed
• ☐ Keep a reliable water source near the hives
• ☐ Mite count every 2–3 weeks; treat per label when above threshold
• ☐ Re-count 2–4 weeks after any treatment
• ☐ Combine weak colonies; requeen failing ones

Fall and winter prep

• ☐ Heft or weigh hives; feed 2:1 syrup to reach your region’s target
• ☐ Remove queen excluders and empty supers
• ☐ Fit mouse guards and entrance reducers
• ☐ Add upper ventilation or a moisture quilt; wrap in cold regions
• ☐ Final mite count; note broodless windows for your region

For a season-by-season overview of the same jobs, see our guide to beekeeping tasks for each season, or browse all our bee care guides.

Cite or share this calendar

Clubs, extension educators and teachers are welcome to link to this page or print it for classes and bee schools. If you reference it, please cite it as:

Honey Garage Beekeeping Calendar, honeygarage.com/beekeeping-calendar/

This calendar draws on state extension calendars and national varroa guidance. It is a general guide; your state apiarist and local club know your forage and weather best.

Beekeeping calendar FAQ

What month should you start beekeeping?

Most beginners install bees in spring, when the first reliable bloom is underway: roughly March in the Warm South, April in the Mid region and late April to May in the Cold North. Order packages or nucs in winter, because suppliers often sell out by February. Taking a beginner class in late winter gives you time to set up before the bees arrive.

How often should I inspect my hive?

Every 7–10 days during spring build-up and swarm season, and every two to three weeks in summer and fall. In winter, do not open the hive in cold regions; heft it from the back to judge stores instead.

When should I treat for varroa mites?

Treat when a mite count shows you are above threshold, following the product label. The most important window is late summer, before the colony raises its winter bees: mid-August in the north, late July to early September in the middle of the country, and July to September in the South. Broodless periods, such as early winter in the north, are a second window.

When is swarm season?

Swarm season follows the spring build-up: about February to April in the Gulf and Southwest, March and April in the Warm South, April and May in the Mid region, and late May through June in the Cold North. Swarms can happen outside those windows, but the peak is when colonies grow fastest on the first big flow.

How much honey does a hive need for winter?

It depends on how long the colony cannot forage. As a rough guide, plan for 80–100 pounds or more in the Cold North, 60–80 pounds in the Mid region and 30–50 pounds in the Warm South. In the Gulf and Southwest, colonies forage most of the year and need less, but they can run short in summer dearths instead.