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Best Month to Start Beekeeping? Bees in Spring

Bees arrive April to June so the colony can build before winter. What to do in the six months before that, and why autumn starts usually fail.

By Salma 2 min read Save to Pinterest — opens Pinterest in a new tab
A frame of honeycomb covered edge to edge with worker honey bees over capped brood
Photo: xiSerge, Pixabay Content License, via Pixabay
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Bees go in during spring. Beekeeping starts the previous September, which is the part the timing question usually misses.

The year, in order

monthswhat you do
Sept–Novjoin the association, start the beginners’ course
Dec–Febassemble flat-pack woodware; order the nucleus
Marprepare and site the hive; final kit check
Apr–early Juninstall the bees
Jun–Auginspections, swarm control, first honey
Aug–Sepvarroa treatment, feed up for winter
Oct–Marleave them alone; heft to check stores

Why autumn installs struggle

factorspring startautumn start
Nectar flow aheadthe whole seasonnone
Time to draw combmonthsweeks
Varroa levellow and risingat annual peak
Winter storesbuilt naturallyfed artificially
Overwinter survivalgoodmarkedly worse

Order the nucleus in January

Good local nucleus suppliers take orders over winter and are frequently sold out by February for the coming spring. This is the single most common reason a planned first season slips by a year.

What to have ready before the bees arrive

  • Hive assembled and sited — level, entrance clear, out of the prevailing wind
  • Suit or jacket and veil, gloves, smoker, hive tool
  • A second brood box for expansion, and a super
  • Feeder and sugar for the first weeks
  • Varroa treatment for late summer, bought in advance
  • A mentor from the association who will come to the first few inspections

The dates shift with latitude and hemisphere

“April to June” describes a temperate northern season. The real rule is to install at the start of the local main nectar flow, which may be March in warm regions and June further north — and six months out in the southern hemisphere. The local association has the dates.

Common questions

What month should I start beekeeping?

Get the bees in April, May or early June in the northern hemisphere, which gives a new colony the whole main nectar flow to build comb, raise brood and store enough honey to survive winter. The real answer, though, is that beekeeping starts the previous autumn — the months from September to March are when you take the course, join the association, buy and assemble the woodware and choose the site.

Why not start in late summer or autumn?

Because a colony installed in August or September has no time. The nectar flow is over, the bees must be fed heavily to build any stores at all, varroa levels are at their annual peak, and the colony goes into winter small and underprovisioned. Overwintering losses for late-started colonies are substantially higher, and the beekeeper spends the winter worrying rather than learning.

What should I be doing over winter?

Everything except the bees. Take the beginners' course run by the local association, which is usually taught over winter precisely for this reason. Order and assemble flat-pack woodware, which is cheaper and takes a few evenings. Choose and prepare the apiary site. Order the nucleus colony early, because good local suppliers sell out by late winter. Read, and go to association meetings.

Should I buy a nucleus or a full colony?

A nucleus — usually five or six frames of bees, brood and a laying queen — is the standard beginner purchase and the better one. It is small enough to inspect without being overwhelming, it expands under your management so you see the whole build-up, and it is cheaper. A full colony arrives already large and complex, which is a lot to handle in a first season.

Does the timing differ by climate?

Substantially. The guiding principle is to install bees at the start of your local main nectar flow, which may be March in the warm south and late May or June further north. In the southern hemisphere the whole calendar shifts six months. The local association knows the flow dates for your area better than any general guide, which is another argument for joining one before buying anything.

Is there any case for starting later in the year?

Collecting a swarm in June or July is a legitimate and traditional way in, and it is free — though a swarm of unknown origin carries unknown disease and temperament, which is a lot of uncertainty for a first colony. Beyond midsummer, the honest advice is to spend the rest of the year preparing and order a nucleus for the following spring.

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