Beekeeping calendar: month-by-month tasks by US region

US beekeeping calendar month by month: packages, inspections, supers, swarms, dearth, mite washes, fall feeding and winterizing, with timing by region.

A US beekeeping calendar depends on where you live, but the sequence is the same everywhere: leave the winter cluster alone and check its weight, install packages and make the first full inspection when days reach about 55°F (13°C), add honey supers and manage swarms through the spring flow, harvest and get through the summer dearth, treat for varroa mites as soon as the honey is off in late summer, then feed and winterize in fall. In Florida colonies are growing and swarm control starts in March; in Minnesota the first full inspection may wait until April. This guide gives the month-by-month work for the Northeast and Upper Midwest, then shows how to shift it for the South, the West and California.

There is no single American beekeeping year, so every date here is tied to a named region and a land-grant university or state source, as published by October 2026. Ask your county extension office or your state apiarist for local bloom dates.

The beekeeping calendar at a glance: month by month

Reference point: the Northeast and Upper Midwest (roughly New York, Pennsylvania, New England, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota), a 10-frame Langstroth hive with two deep brood boxes, and colonies that overwinter on their own honey. The table draws mainly on Cornell University’s Beekeeping Calendar for the Northeast.

Month	Colony	Hive work	Varroa	Feeding
January	Tight cluster; small brood nest starts	Do not open; clear snow and dead bees from entrances; order bees	Oxalic acid in broodless colonies if counts were high in fall	Dry sugar, fondant or candy board if light
February	Brood increasing; cleansing flights on mild days	Heft hives; repair equipment; build frames	None in most of the region	Fondant; pollen patties only near the first pollen flow
March	Maple and willow pollen; brood expanding	Quick checks on warm days; remove dead-outs	Mite numbers start to rise	Keep 3 to 4 combs of honey; feed if light
April	Rapid buildup	First full inspection above 55°F (13°C); install packages and nucs; reverse boxes if needed	Begin monthly washes; treat at 2 mites per 100 bees	1:1 syrup to packages, nucs and light colonies
May	Swarm season from mid-May; first flows (fruit bloom, dandelion, black locust)	Weekly inspections; splits; first supers when brood boxes are full	Treat at 2 per 100; drone comb removal	Stop syrup once supers go on
June	Peak population; clover flow	Add supers; extract spring honey promptly in small hive beetle areas	Monthly wash	None on strong colonies
July	Flow ends mid to late summer; swarming winds down	Remove capped honey after the flow; last chance to split	Wash before supers come off	Water in hot spells
August	Winter bees start to be raised	Harvest, leaving enough honey; prepare for fall flow	Treat at 3 per 100 (Cornell) or 2 (HBHC)	2:1 syrup if short
September	Goldenrod and aster flow	Combine weak colonies; extract fall honey or leave it for winter	Treat; remove strips on label dates	2:1 syrup toward 70 to 90 lb of stores
October	Drones expelled; brood shrinks	Remove empty supers and excluders; mouse guards, entrance reducers, tilt hives forward	Post-treatment wash	Finish 2:1 syrup before freezing nights
November	Cluster forms	Wrap or insulate with moisture control; strap lids	Plan winter oxalic acid	None, or fondant
December	Little or no brood	Order bees for spring; clear ice from entrances	Oxalic acid in broodless window	Heft; fondant if light

For syrup recipes, fondant and pollen substitutes, see our guide to feeding bees.

How does the beekeeping calendar change by region?

The contiguous US spans subtropical Florida, the Mediterranean climate of coastal California and Upper Midwest winters below 0°F (-18°C). The same task can fall three months apart.

Region	Spring buildup	Swarm season	Main flow	Dearth	Winter
Northeast	April to May	Mid-May to mid-July, second smaller season from August	May to July, plus goldenrod and aster in fall	Late summer in some years	Long; colonies need 70 to 90 lb of honey
Upper Midwest	April to May	May to July	June to August (clover, basswood, alfalfa, soybeans in some areas)	Short	Longest; wrapping common
Southeast (central North Carolina)	February to March	March to May, heaviest in April	April to June (tulip poplar, sourwood in the mountains from mid-June)	August	Short; brood buildup from February
Florida and Gulf Coast	March, with pollen supplements in January and February	March to May	April in north Florida; orange blossom in south Florida, extracted from late April; tupelo in the Panhandle mid-April to May	July, after the main flow stops	Little true dormancy
Intermountain West (Utah)	March to April	May to July	Late spring and summer (alfalfa, sweet clover)	Late summer	Cold, dry; 80 to 100 lb of stores
Pacific Northwest (western Oregon and Washington)	February to April	April to June	Spring and early summer (blackberry, clover)	Late summer	Mild but wet; moisture is the main threat
California	January to February (almond bloom)	March to May	Almonds, then citrus, sage and wildflowers	Summer and fall	Mild; many colonies are moved

The Northeast column comes from Cornell, the Southeast from the North Carolina Department of Agriculture’s central North Carolina calendar, Florida from UF/IFAS, and Utah from Utah State University Extension; the plant names in the other rows are typical rather than exhaustive. Your own yard can sit weeks ahead of or behind these windows depending on elevation and on the crops around you.

The South: earlier, longer and less dormant

In central North Carolina, the NCDA&CS calendar has red maple pollen starting brood buildup in February, swarm season opening in March, at least one honey super on by the end of March and the heaviest flow in April, when it advises adding supers every 7 to 10 days. In sourwood areas it suggests harvesting before the sourwood flow begins in mid-June so the sourwood crop stays pure. August is the dearth.

Florida runs earlier still. The UF/IFAS management calendar has colonies growing in March, swarm control from March to May in all three regions, the primary flow starting in April in north Florida, orange blossom honey extracted from late April in south Florida, and the main flow stopping in July everywhere. Central and south Florida colonies are supered again for the Brazilian pepper flow in September. In the Panhandle, the Gulf County extension office describes tupelo bloom from about mid-April to the end of May along the Apalachicola River and the Dead Lakes.

Southern beekeepers also manage around Africanized honey bees. UF/IFAS advises requeening with European queens from Florida breeders who follow the state’s best management practices, or from a region without African bees, and recommends requeening every year to reduce swarming, with September a good month because queens are cheaper and easier to find.

California and the almond migration

California’s beekeeping year is shaped by almonds, which bloom in late winter. CDFA’s border inspection report counted 4,619 truckloads of bees entering California between September 1, 2025 and March 15, 2026, an estimated 1.9 million colonies, with imports typically starting in September and ending by early March. USDA’s Cost of Pollination report puts the average almond fee at $209 per colony in 2025 in its Arizona, California and Hawaii region, up 15% from $181 in 2024, with 1.63 million colonies used on 1,035,800 paid acres.

For a commercial beekeeper that means building colonies up in fall and early winter so they are strong in February, a calendar almost the reverse of a Northeast hobbyist’s. For a backyard beekeeper in California, it means early spring buildup, swarming from March and a long dry-season dearth.

Pacific Northwest

West of the Cascades the threat in winter is damp rather than cold. Oregon State University’s bee lab notes that a week-long stretch of rain can keep a growing colony inside eating its stores, and that commercial beekeepers in the region feed both syrup and pollen ahead of the big pollen flow that starts in mid-February. Its suggestion for emergency feed is a sugar brick: 10 lb (4.5 kg) of granulated sugar mixed with about 1 cup (240 ml) of water, pressed into molds and laid on the top bars.

What should you do with your bees in winter?

From December to February in the North, the job is to leave the cluster alone and make sure it does not starve or drown in condensation.

Heft the hive. Lift the back a couple of inches. Oregon State’s rule of thumb: too heavy to lift in fall, lighter but still liftable in late winter. A hive that feels light needs feed now.
Feed solid sugar, not syrup. Cornell lists dry sugar, fondant or a candy board for January and February; Utah State suggests a fondant patty if the hive weighs under 50 to 80 lb, on a day above 55°F (13°C) with little wind.
Keep the entrance clear of snow, ice and dead bees.
Manage moisture. The University of Minnesota winter guide uses an upper entrance in the top box and a moisture-absorbing board over the inner cover under the wrap, with no plastic moisture barrier.
Do not open the hive except on a mild, calm day, and then only briefly.

Wrapping in the far north

The University of Minnesota guide by Reuter and Spivak winters colonies in three deep boxes with 75 to 95 lb (34 to 43 kg) of honey, most of it in the top box, and starts wrapping soon after November 1, then avoids visiting until March. In the Northeast, Cornell suggests insulation with moisture control in mind in November.

Winter oxalic acid

Many northern colonies are broodless for a few weeks in late fall or early winter. That is the best time for oxalic acid, which kills mites on adult bees but not under cappings. The Honey Bee Health Coalition (HBHC) guide says it is best used in the dormant phase when sealed brood is not present, and warns of risks to the colony when opening the hive below 40°F (4°C).

The current EPA-accepted Api-Bioxal label (June 2025) sets two methods. For the dribble, dissolve 1.23 oz (35 g) of Api-Bioxal in about 1 quart (1 L) of warm 1:1 sugar syrup and trickle 5 mL (about 1 teaspoon) onto the bees in each occupied space between frames, up to 1.7 fl oz (50 mL) per colony whatever its size. For vaporization, the label dose is 0.14 oz (4.0 g) of powder per brood chamber, applied through a restricted lower entrance with all upper entrances and cracks taped shut. Older labels gave 1 g per brood chamber, so check the date on yours. The label requires chemical-resistant gloves, goggles or a face shield and a NIOSH-approved half-mask respirator with acid gas cartridges for vaporizing. Unlike in many other countries, the US label allows oxalic acid with honey supers on.

Oregon State notes that once brood rearing resumes in late winter, oxalic acid loses much of its effect and many other products are too temperature-sensitive to use, which is why it suggests amitraz (Apivar) as the late-winter option in the Northwest.

When should you install packages and do the first spring inspection?

The first full inspection

Utah State University Extension uses a day above 55°F (13°C) for a full inspection, and counts six or more frames covered with bees as a strong colony in March. Cornell’s Northeast calendar starts monthly mite checks and package installation in April; the central North Carolina calendar starts mite checks in March and installs packages in April. Check:

Queen. Eggs and young larvae in a compact pattern mean she is laying.
Stores. Cornell wants at least 3 to 4 combs of honey in March and April, the months when colonies run out fastest.
Brood health. Look for sunken, perforated or discolored cappings and larvae that are not pearly white.
Space. Reverse brood boxes if the cluster has moved into the top box and the bottom one is empty, as the NCDA&CS calendar suggests in March.
Mites. Start monthly alcohol washes now; the HBHC threshold during spring buildup is just 1 mite per 100 bees.

Note what you find, hive by hive, in our free hive inspection log.

Installing packages and nucs

Packages are usually installed in April, in central North Carolina as in the Northeast. Cornell advises feeding packages and nucs on arrival and waiting two weeks before inspecting a newly installed package, to avoid disturbing the queen before she settles. Order in winter: Oregon State suggests January or February because suppliers sell out. A standard package holds 3 lb (1.4 kg) of bees with a caged mated queen.

When should you add honey supers?

Add the first super when the brood boxes are nearly full of bees and the first strong flow begins. Utah State adds a super when the top brood box has seven full frames of capped honey; Cornell adds it when the brood chambers are full and the first flow starts, usually in May in the Northeast. In central North Carolina it goes on in late March. A queen excluder is optional.

Before supering, remove any treatment that is not labeled for use with honey supers. Apivar strips, for example, cannot be in the hive when it is supered for honey, according to the HBHC guide. Stop feeding syrup once supers are on, or the bees will store sugar syrup in your honey.

Add the next super before the bees have filled the one below. In a heavy flow the NCDA&CS calendar suggests a new super every 7 to 10 days. Our harvesting honey guide explains how to tell when frames are ready and how to clear bees from supers.

How do you manage swarm season?

Swarming follows the spring buildup and peaks a few weeks after the colony reaches strength: March and April in the Southeast and Florida, mid-May to mid-July in the Northeast according to Cornell, with a second, smaller swarm season starting in August.

Inspect every 7 to 10 days during swarm season and look for queen cells along the bottom edges of frames, which Utah State flags as a sign of swarming.
Give room early. Add boxes before the brood nest is crowded.
Split. Utah State and Cornell both suggest splitting strong overwintered colonies in spring; Cornell calls May the best time to rear queens, and July the last chance to split in the Northeast.
Set bait hives in March in the Southeast, as the NCDA&CS calendar recommends, to catch swarms you miss.

A split also creates a brood break, which Cornell lists as a varroa control tool in May, June and July. Our guide to swarming covers queen cells, splits and catching swarms in detail.

Summer: honey flow, dearth and harvest

The main flow and harvest

The main flow is the period the whole year builds toward. Typical sources include clover in the Northeast and Midwest, tulip poplar and sourwood in the Southeast, orange blossom and tupelo in Florida, alfalfa and sweet clover in the Plains and Intermountain West, and sage and buckwheat in California. US honey production is concentrated in the northern Plains: USDA’s March 2026 honey report put 2025 production at 116 million lb (about 53,000 metric tons), with North Dakota first at 30.8 million lb, and an average yield of 48.0 lb (22 kg) per colony nationally.

Harvest capped honey after each flow. In areas with small hive beetles, Cornell advises extracting immediately after removing supers, because beetle larvae can ruin stored honey supers in days. USDA’s voluntary grade standards require at least 81.4% soluble solids for Grade A and B extracted honey, which corresponds to 18.6% moisture; mostly capped frames normally meet it. Utah State suggests harvesting on days of about 80 to 85°F (27 to 29°C), when honey extracts easily.

The dearth

After the main flow ends, many regions go weeks with almost no nectar: July in Florida, August in central North Carolina, late summer in much of the West. Colonies become more defensive and robbing begins. The NCDA&CS calendar advises robbing screens or entrance reducers, short inspections and keeping ventilation open. Never leave syrup, honey or wet supers exposed in the yard. Utah State adds that colonies need water in hot, dry weather, and suggests a screened bottom board or propping the lid about 1/4 inch (6 mm) when bees beard on the front of the hive.

Late summer is also when small hive beetles, wax moths and yellowjackets peak in the Southeast. The NCDA&CS calendar suggests beetle traps once you see more than 20 adult beetles in a hive.

When and how should you treat for varroa mites?

Varroa is the reason the late-summer part of the calendar matters most. The national loss survey run by Auburn University with the Apiary Inspectors of America recorded a record 55.6% annual colony loss in 2024-25, then 39.9% in 2025-26, with winter losses of 30.3%. In June 2025, the USDA Agricultural Research Service linked the collapse of more than 60% of commercial colonies, about 1.7 million, to mite-borne viruses, and found signs of amitraz resistance in virtually all the varroa it collected.

Thresholds through the year

The HBHC’s ninth edition guide (2026) sets thresholds in mites per 100 adult bees, measured with a wash of about 300 bees (1/2 cup, lightly packed) from brood combs:

Colony phase	Typical timing in the North	Treat at
Dormant	Late fall and winter	1 or more
Population increase	Spring buildup	1 or more
Population peak	Summer flow	2 or more
Population decrease	Late summer and fall	2 or more

The HBHC says these thresholds can vary by region, and extension services do use different numbers: Cornell uses 2 mites per 100 bees from April to July and 3 in August and September, UF/IFAS considers treatment at 3, and Utah State treats above 5 mites in a 300-bee sample. The HBHC asks for sampling at least monthly from spring, or at least four times from population peak to decline, and again after every treatment. It stresses treating early in the population decrease phase, which in the North means August, after the honey comes off and before the winter bees are raised.

What you can use, and when

Miticides are pesticides in the US, registered by the EPA. The EPA list of products registered against varroa in hives was last updated on September 17, 2026. The season dictates which ones fit:

Product	Active ingredient	With honey supers?	Temperature
Apivar	amitraz	No	No limit noted
Formic Pro	formic acid	Yes	50 to 85°F (10 to 29.5°C) daytime
Apiguard	thymol	No	60 to 105°F (15 to 40°C)
ApiLife Var	thymol, eucalyptus oil, menthol	No	64 to 95°F (18 to 35°C)
HopGuard 3	hop beta acids	Yes, honey taken only from supers	55 to 100°F (13 to 38°C)
Api-Bioxal (powder)	oxalic acid dihydrate	Yes	None on the label; HBHC warns against opening hives below 40°F (4°C)
VarroxSan	oxalic acid dihydrate, slow-release strips	Yes	No restriction

Supers and temperature limits are taken from the HBHC guide; the label on the package is the legal document and overrides any summary. Rotate active ingredients to slow resistance. Our varroa mites guide covers every registered product, resistance testing and resistant stocks.

A practical regional pattern: Formic Pro or HopGuard 3 during the summer flow when counts rise and supers are on; amitraz, thymol (while days are warm) or formic acid in August straight after harvest in the North; oxalic acid in a broodless window in late fall or winter. Where colonies rarely stop brood rearing, as in Florida, combine oxalic acid with a brood break or use products that cover a full brood cycle.

How do you prepare hives for winter?

Stores by region

Cornell wants a full-size Northeast colony to have at least 70 to 90 lb (32 to 41 kg) of honey by early October. Utah State aims for 80 to 100 lb (36 to 45 kg), or 10 to 12 deep frames capped on both sides. The Minnesota guide gives 75 to 95 lb (34 to 43 kg) in three deeps. In central North Carolina, the NCDA&CS calendar advises feeding in December if a colony has no more than one super of honey and in January if it has less than three-quarters of a super.

Fall feeding

If a colony is short, feed 2:1 syrup (two parts sugar to one part water). Cornell lists 2:1 in August and September in the Northeast; Utah State feeds until nights are near freezing or the bees stop taking it. The NCDA&CS calendar suggests 1:1 for two to three weeks in September to stimulate laying, then 2:1 from the last week of September. Use internal feeders to limit robbing.

Winterizing checklist

Cornell’s October list for the Northeast:

remove empty supers and queen excluders;
fit a mouse guard and an entrance reducer;
secure the outer cover with a strap or weight;
tilt the hive slightly forward so condensation drains out of the entrance.

Combine weak colonies, or those with failing queens, in early fall rather than hoping they survive, as both Cornell and the NCDA&CS calendar advise; Cornell asks you to check the weak colony for disease first. Store drawn comb where wax moths cannot reach it; Cornell suggests freezing or careful storage of equipment that may harbor them.

Calendar dates set by law, inspections and pests

Federal law sets no beekeeping calendar, but your state may. Rules differ widely, so treat these as examples and check with your own state department of agriculture:

Ohio requires registration by June 1 each year, or within 30 days of acquiring bees, and registrations expire on May 31.
Pennsylvania charges $10 for registration covering about two years, and its seasonal inspectors visit hives from May to mid-October.
Utah State’s calendar reminds beekeepers to register hives with the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food in April.
California migratory beekeepers face border inspections on every load entering the state for almond pollination.

Our guide to beekeeping laws by state compares registration, fees and renewal dates in more states.

Yellow-legged hornet watch in the Southeast

The yellow-legged hornet (Vespa velutina), first detected in the US in Savannah, Georgia, in November 2023, hunts honey bees in front of hives from late summer into fall. North Carolina’s agriculture department confirmed the hornet’s first established presence in the state, in Matthews near the Union and Mecklenburg county line, in July 2026, after populations around Savannah, Charleston and York County, South Carolina. It asks beekeepers to watch for hornets hovering at hive entrances and to report sightings and use monitoring traps following state instructions. If you keep bees in Georgia, the Carolinas or neighboring states, add hornet checks to your August to November routine; our yellow-legged hornet page explains how to report one.

Use the quiet weeks of December to review each colony’s record: mite counts, treatments with lot numbers and dates, queens and harvests. Next year’s calendar starts there, and the other guides in our seasons section cover each part of the year in more depth.

Frequently asked questions

When should I do my first hive inspection in spring?

Wait for a calm day above about 55°F (13°C) with bees flying and bringing in pollen, which is the threshold Utah State University Extension uses for a full inspection. That is often late February or March in the South, April in the Northeast and Upper Midwest. Before then, check weight by hefting and feed fondant or dry sugar if the hive is light.

How much honey should I leave on a hive for winter?

It depends on your region. Cornell recommends at least 70 to 90 lb (32 to 41 kg) of honey for a full-size colony in the Northeast by early October, Utah State suggests 80 to 100 lb (36 to 45 kg), and a University of Minnesota guide gives 75 to 95 lb (34 to 43 kg) in three deeps. Colonies in the Deep South need less but forage less predictably in winter.

When should I add honey supers?

Add the first super when the brood boxes are nearly full of bees and comb and the main flow is starting. In central North Carolina that can be late March; in the Northeast it is usually May. Remove any mite treatment whose label forbids use with supers first. Add the next super before the bees fill the one below; in a strong flow that can be every 7 to 10 days.

When is swarm season in the US?

It follows the spring buildup. In Florida, UF/IFAS advises swarm control from March to May; in central North Carolina swarming starts in March and is usually heavy in April; in the Northeast Cornell puts the start in mid-May, winding down by mid-July, with a smaller second swarm season from August. Inspect every week or so during that window.

When should I treat for varroa mites?

Test with an alcohol wash at least monthly from spring and treat when you reach the threshold, which the Honey Bee Health Coalition sets at 2 mites per 100 bees in summer and fall. The critical treatment is in late summer, after the honey comes off and early in the fall population decline, so the winter bees are raised with few mites. A winter oxalic acid treatment helps in broodless colonies.

What is a nectar dearth and what should I do?

A dearth is a period with little or no nectar, usually in midsummer after the main flow. In Florida the main flow stops in July in every region; in central North Carolina the dearth falls in August. Colonies become defensive and robbing starts. Reduce entrances, use robbing screens, keep inspections short, never spill syrup, and feed only colonies that are short of stores.

When should I feed sugar syrup to my bees?

Feed 1:1 syrup (one part sugar to one part water) in spring to new packages, nucs and light colonies, and 2:1 syrup in fall to build winter stores, from late August into October depending on your region. Stop liquid feeding once nights approach freezing and switch to fondant, sugar bricks or a candy board in winter. Never feed syrup with honey supers on.

When should I order package bees or nucs?

Order in winter. Oregon State University's bee lab suggests January or February because packages and nucs sell out, and Cornell's Northeast calendar says to order replacement bees in December or January. Packages are usually installed in April in both the Northeast and central North Carolina, so a winter order is what secures a spring pickup date with a mated queen.

Sources

Tools for Varroa Management: A Guide to Effective Varroa Sampling and Control (9th edition, 2026), Honey Bee Health Coalition
Beekeeping Calendar for the Northeast, Cornell University, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Pollinator Network
Calendar for Beekeeping in Central North Carolina (Nancy Ruppert, 2015), NCDA&CS Apiary Program, via NC State Extension
Florida Beekeeping Management Calendar (ENY156/IN848), University of Florida, IFAS Extension
Requeening a beehive, University of Florida, IFAS Extension
Api-Bioxal label, EPA Reg. No. 73291-2 (accepted June 24, 2025), US Environmental Protection Agency, Pesticide Product Label System
Tupelo honey: rich in local history and medicinal value, University of Florida, IFAS Extension Gulf County
Beekeeping Annual Calendar, Utah State University Extension
Wrapping a Colony for a Northern Winter (Reuter and Spivak), University of Minnesota, Department of Entomology, via Bee Health eXtension
PolliNation episode 168: late winter hive management, Oregon State University Extension Service
EPA-registered pesticide products approved for use against varroa mites in bee hives, US Environmental Protection Agency
Cost of Pollination (February 2026), USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
California apiary inspection: Pest Exclusion activities 2025-26, California Department of Food and Agriculture
Honey (March 2026), USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service
U.S. honey bee colony losses ease after record year (June 2026), Auburn University, College of Agriculture
USDA researchers find viruses from miticide-resistant parasitic mites are cause of recent honey bee colony collapses (June 2025), USDA Agricultural Research Service
United States Standards for Grades of Extracted Honey, USDA Agricultural Marketing Service
Ohio Revised Code section 909.02: registration of bees, State of Ohio
Apiary and pollinator services, Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture
NCDA&CS confirms first finding of yellow-legged hornet in the state (July 2026), North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services