Spring Hive Inspection Checklist: What Every Beekeeper Should Look For

Spring is the most important time of year for beekeepers. After months of winter cluster, your colonies are beginning to expand, queens are ramping up egg-laying, and the colony's trajectory for the entire season is being set right now. A thorough spring inspection gives you a clear picture of each hive's health, identifies problems early when they're still manageable, and helps you plan the work ahead.

This checklist covers everything you should assess during a spring inspection. Work through each point systematically, and you'll leave the apiary with the information you need to make smart decisions.

When to Do Your First Spring Inspection

Timing matters. Opening a hive too early — on a cold, cloudy, or windy day — risks chilling the brood and stressing the colony. Wait until daytime temperatures are consistently above 55°F (13°C) and ideally above 60°F (16°C) with no wind. The bees should be actively flying when you open the hive.

In most temperate climates, this window falls somewhere between late February and early April, depending on your location. Don't rush it. A week's patience is better than a chilled cluster.

Rule of thumb: if the forsythia is blooming in your area, it's safe to open your hives.

1. Queen Presence and Performance

The queen is the heart of every colony. Your first goal on any inspection is to confirm she is present and laying well.

What to look for:

• Eggs: Look for eggs standing upright in the center of cells. They're tiny — about 1.5mm — and easiest to see when you hold the frame up toward the sun. Eggs mean the queen was laying within the last three days.
• Young larvae: Curled white larvae in a "C" shape, surrounded by royal jelly. Their presence confirms the queen is active.
• The queen herself: She's larger than workers, with a long abdomen. Don't feel obligated to find her every time — the presence of fresh eggs is sufficient proof.
• Queen cells: Look for peanut-shaped cells on the bottom or face of frames. One or two emergency queen cells may signal a problem. Many cells suggest swarming preparations.

Red flags: No eggs, no larvae, and no queen is a queenless colony — a serious emergency. A spotty, patchy brood pattern from a queen who is laying but performing poorly may indicate a failing queen or disease.

2. Brood Pattern Assessment

A healthy brood pattern is one of the clearest indicators of colony health. You're looking for a solid, compact pattern of capped brood — like a full frame of uniformly domed, tan-colored cappings.

Healthy signs:

• Compact, solid field of capped brood with few empty cells
• Smooth, slightly domed, tan cappings on worker brood
• Consistent larvae at similar stages of development
• A single ring of pollen immediately surrounding the brood nest

Warning signs:

• Shotgun brood pattern: Scattered cells with cappings punctuated by empty cells. This suggests a failing queen or disease.
• Sunken, perforated, or discolored cappings: These are classic signs of American Foulbrood (AFB) or European Foulbrood (EFB) — both serious bacterial diseases requiring immediate attention.
• Larvae that are brown, twisted, or have a foul smell: Disease indicators. AFB smells like rotting wood. If you suspect disease, contact your local apiary inspector.
• Bald or greasy cappings: May indicate Sacbrood virus or mite damage.

3. Colony Strength and Population

Spring colonies vary dramatically in strength depending on how well they overwintered. Assessing population tells you how much expansion to expect and whether you need to combine or support weak hives.

What to assess:

• How many frames of bees are present? (Count frames covered with bees on both sides)
• Are the bees calm and covering the brood frames well?
• Is the cluster tight and compact, or spread thin across frames?
• Are there enough bees to keep the brood warm if temperatures drop?

A typical healthy colony coming out of winter in a 10-frame Langstroth deep might cover 4 to 6 frames. Fewer than 3 frames is a weak colony that needs intervention — consider combining it with another colony, or providing a nucleus colony boost.

4. Food Stores

Starvation in early spring is a real risk. Colonies are expanding and consuming stores rapidly, but foraging may still be limited by weather. This is sometimes called the "spring dearth" — the period between when winter stores run low and when spring nectar flow begins.

Check for:

• Honey stores: Capped honey frames flanking the brood nest. Each full deep frame holds roughly 8 lbs of honey. A colony needs at least 15–20 lbs to survive until nectar flow begins.
• Pollen stores: Look for frames with cells of yellow, orange, brown, or reddish pollen adjacent to the brood. Protein is essential for raising brood.
• Emergency feeding: If stores are low, provide a 1:1 sugar syrup feeder or fondant immediately. Don't wait.

Lifting the back of the hive is a quick way to gauge weight. A heavy hive has plenty of stores. If it feels light, inspect immediately and feed if needed.

5. Signs of Pests and Disease

Early detection of pests gives you time to intervene before populations explode.

Varroa mites:

• Check for mites visible on adult bees — they look like tiny reddish-brown dots, often on the thorax between wing bases.
• Look for deformed wing virus symptoms: bees with crumpled, vestigial wings crawling in front of the hive.
• If you haven't already, do an alcohol wash or sugar roll to get an accurate mite count. A spring count above 1–2 mites per 100 bees warrants treatment.

Small Hive Beetles (SHB):

• Check corners of frames and the bottom board for small, dark oval beetles.
• Check for sliminess or fermentation odor in comb — signs of an SHB infestation.

Wax moths:

• In weak colonies, look for webbing or cocoons in the corners of frames.
• Wax moth infestation often indicates a colony that is too weak to defend itself.

Nosema:

• Brown streaks on the outside of the hive (fecal matter) near the entrance can indicate Nosema — a fungal gut disease that weakens bees.
• Dysentery-like symptoms inside the hive are another warning sign.

6. Equipment Condition

Winter is hard on equipment. Check everything while you have the hive open.

• Frames and foundation: Look for cracked or broken frames, old dark comb that should be rotated out, and any propolis buildup affecting frame movement.
• Hive bodies: Check wooden ware for rot, cracks, or warping. Replace any boxes that have degraded significantly.
• Bottom board: Clean the bottom board. Debris buildup can harbor pests. Screened bottom boards should be clear.
• Entrance reducers: If you used entrance reducers over winter, consider opening them as the colony expands. Ventilation becomes more important as populations grow.
• Hive cover: Check the inner and outer covers for moisture damage or mold. Ventilation issues over winter can cause condensation that weakens the colony.

7. Space Availability

Colonies build up fast in spring. One of the most common causes of spring swarms is a lack of space — bees fill every cell and the queen has nowhere to lay, triggering swarm impulse.

Assess:

• Is the brood nest becoming congested?
• Are frames being backfilled with nectar, reducing laying room?
• Is there room for the colony to expand upward into another box?

Adding a super or second brood box before the colony fills up is key to swarm prevention. Don't wait until the hive is bursting — by then, swarming preparations are often already underway.

8. Swarm Indicators

While you're in the hive, actively look for signs that the colony is preparing to swarm.

• Queen cells on the bottom of frames: "Swarm cells" are typically built on the lower portions of frames when the colony is preparing to swarm. Finding multiple capped or near-capped queen cells often means swarming is imminent.
• Backfilled brood nest: If incoming nectar is being stored in brood cells (honey-bound), the queen is running out of space — a swarm trigger.
• Large population with limited space: The combination of strength plus crowding is the classic swarm setup.

If you find swarm cells, you need to act quickly. Options include making a split, removing queen cells, adding space, or doing a full swarm control. Each situation calls for its own approach — what matters most is that you notice the signs before the swarm leaves.

Putting It All Together

A thorough spring inspection shouldn't take more than 10–15 minutes per hive once you know what you're looking for. The goal isn't to find everything perfect — it's to know where each colony stands so you can act.

Keep detailed notes on every inspection. Record the number of frames of bees, brood pattern quality, food stores, queen status, and any issues found. Over time, this record becomes invaluable for understanding colony trajectories and making informed management decisions.

Summary checklist:

1. Queen present and laying well (eggs, young larvae)
2. Brood pattern solid and healthy (no disease signs)
3. Colony population adequate (3+ frames of bees minimum)
4. Food stores sufficient (15+ lbs of honey, visible pollen)
5. No signs of Varroa, SHB, wax moths, or Nosema
6. Equipment in good condition (frames, boxes, bottom board, covers)
7. Adequate space for expansion (avoid honey-bound brood nest)
8. No swarm preparations underway (no swarm cells, no crowding)

Spring is the season when beekeeping decisions have the longest reach. The work you do now — catching issues early, giving colonies space, keeping records — pays dividends through summer harvest and into fall buildup. Get in those hives, observe carefully, and let the bees tell you what they need.