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Beekeeping Guide

Is Your Land Ready for Bees?

Analyse your local habitat, learn what your first season needs, and explore tools built for modern beekeepers.

Check My Area Start the Guide
1 Check your habitat 2 Gather your supplies 3 Learn the basics
Step 1

Habitat Checker

Click anywhere on the map — or use your location — to score the land within 3 km for bee-friendly habitat. Forests, meadows, and orchards are ideal. Urban areas and monoculture crops reduce the score.

Or click anywhere on the map to place your hive.
Step 2

What Every New Beekeeper Needs

Start with two hives. It lets you compare colonies, diagnose problems by contrast, and share resources between them when one needs help.

01
A Hive
Langstroth is the global standard. Buy assembled boxes — flat-pack is a frustrating first project when bees are waiting.
02
A Colony
A nucleus colony from a local breeder in spring. Local bees are adapted to your climate and the disease pressure in your region.
03
Protective Gear
Full suit, ventilated gloves, and a veil. Confidence comes before going gloveless — there is no shame in full protection.
04
A Smoker
Smoke triggers a feeding reflex that calms bees before inspections. Natural fuel only — burlap, pine needles, or dried herbs.
05
Hive Tool
Bees seal everything with propolis. A J-hook or straight hive tool is essential for separating frames and scraping wax.
06
Water Source
Bees need water within 500 m. Without a dedicated source they will colonise your neighbour's pool — and return every day.
07
Inspection Log
Record queen status, brood pattern, stores, and concerns after every visit. Memory alone is not a reliable system.
08
A Monitor
A sensor tracks temperature, humidity, CO₂, and sound between inspections — catching swarm signals and disease early.
EvoCultiva Sensor

Ideal Hive Placement

✓ Within 3 km of forests, meadows, orchards, or heathland
✓ South or east-facing entrance — morning sun helps bees start foraging earlier
✓ Sheltered from prevailing wind on at least two sides
✓ Clean water source within 500 m
✓ Dappled afternoon shade in summer, full sun in winter
✓ At least 3 m from footpaths and property boundaries
✗ Downwind of pesticide-intensive monocultures
✗ Low-lying frost pockets or areas with standing water
Step 3

Learn the Basics

Understanding what is happening inside your hive — and what to do about it — is the difference between a thriving colony and a failing one. Start here.

Inside the Colony

The Queen
One queen. Everything depends on her.

A healthy queen can lay up to 2,000 eggs per day at peak season. She is the only sexually reproductive female in the colony and the source of its genetic character.

Look for a steady, compact brood pattern — no gaps. A patchy or scattered pattern is usually the first sign of a failing or failing-to-mate queen. You may never see the queen herself; the brood tells you enough.

Worker Bees
Up to 50,000 at summer peak.

Workers are infertile females. They spend the first three weeks of their life on hive duties — nursing brood, building comb, curing honey, guarding — before transitioning to foraging for the final two to three weeks.

In winter the colony drops to 10,000–15,000 bees. They form a tight cluster to generate heat and survive on stored honey.

Drones
Males. Their only role is mating.

Drones are produced in spring and summer. They do not forage, produce wax, or sting. Their purpose is to fly to drone congregation areas and mate with virgin queens from other colonies.

In autumn the workers evict surviving drones to conserve winter stores. If you see drones being expelled, winter preparations are underway.

The Brood Nest
Eggs, larvae, and capped cells.

Worker eggs hatch after 3 days, are fed as larvae for 6 days, then capped for 12 days before emerging as adults — 21 days total. Queen cells take 16 days; drones 24.

Capped brood should be smooth, slightly domed, and uniform in colour. Sunken, perforated, or discoloured cappings are warning signs worth investigating immediately.

The Beekeeping Year

Spring
Build-up
The colony expands rapidly. Add supers early. Watch for swarm cells from mid-April onward. Treat for Varroa if mite counts are high.
Summer
Honey Flow
Peak foraging. Keep supers on. Inspect every 7–10 days. Ensure adequate water nearby. Harvest honey when frames are at least 80% capped.
Autumn
Winter Prep
Treat for Varroa after harvest — this is critical. Ensure at least 15 kg of stores. Fit the mouse guard. Reduce the entrance.
Winter
Minimal Disturbance
Let the cluster be. Check stores by hefting the hive. Feed fondant if light. Order new equipment and plan for spring splits.

What to Check at Every Inspection

✓ Eggs present — tiny white grains standing upright in cells confirm the queen was laying within the last 3 days
✓ Solid brood pattern — compact, consistent, with minimal empty cells between capped brood
✓ Adequate stores — honey and pollen frames surrounding the brood nest
✓ No queen cells (unless you intend to let the colony swarm or you are making a split)
✓ Calm temperament — a sudden increase in defensive behaviour can signal queenlessness or disease
✗ Sacbrood or chalk brood — dead larvae that look like grey/white pellets in the cells
✗ American Foulbrood — ropy, brown, foul-smelling capped brood (notifiable disease in most countries)
✗ Varroa on bees — small reddish-brown mites visible on adult bees, especially drones

Common Threats

Varroa
High risk
A parasitic mite that feeds on developing brood and transmits viruses. Untreated colonies typically collapse within 2–3 years. Monitor mite counts monthly with an alcohol wash or sticky board. Treat with oxalic acid in winter when brood is absent, and with approved miticides after harvest in late summer.
American Foulbrood
Notifiable
A bacterial disease (Paenibacillus larvae) that destroys the brood. Infected larvae turn ropy and brown with a distinctive sour smell. There is no treatment — affected hives must be destroyed and the equipment burned. Always report it to your national bee inspector. It is spread mainly by beekeepers sharing equipment.
Swarming
Manageable
The colony's natural method of reproduction. The old queen leaves with half the bees. It is not a disaster — but you lose production and population. Prevent it by regular inspections, removing queen cells, and giving the colony space with additional supers. A second hive makes artificial swarms far easier to manage.
Nosema
Moderate
A gut microsporidian that causes dysentery and weakens foragers. Most dangerous in late winter when bees cannot fly to defecate. Ensure good ventilation, avoid prolonged confinement, and replace old comb regularly. Fumagillin is not available in the EU; management is largely husbandry-based.
Starvation
Preventable
The second most common cause of colony loss, especially late winter to early spring before forage is available. Heft the hive regularly through winter — it should feel heavy. Feed with fondant if stores are low; never liquid feed below 10°C as it causes dysentery.
hiveMonitor
Monitoring Between Inspections

Most colony losses happen between visits. A continuous sensor catches the signals that a fortnightly inspection cannot — temperature drops, CO₂ spikes before swarming, abnormal sound frequencies. The EvoCultiva hiveMonitor is an ESP32-based sensor that logs data to your dashboard every 15 minutes, with no subscription required.

✓ Always know where your hive is — live GPS coordinates and full movement history, replayed on a map
✓ Seasonal preparation alerts — calibrated to your altitude and location, so you know when to add supers and when to begin winter preparation
✓ Raw sound recorded and stored — replay sessions over time and hear the difference between a calm colony, a queenless hive, and pre-swarm overcrowding
✓ Elevation resolved from GPS — altitude is used to calibrate forecasts and habitat scoring for your specific microclimate
✓ Temperature, humidity & CO₂ — continuous readings catch overheating, winter cluster collapse, and pre-swarm overcrowding between inspections
Register your first hive
Live hive data
Temperature
34.2°C
Humidity
65%
CO₂
1,200 ppm
Sound RMS
0.18
Peak Freq
220 Hz
GPS Location 41.3825° N, 2.1769° E
Elevation 247 m Highland
Seasonal alert Add super soon
ESP32-based · Wi-Fi · Solar compatible — Data every 15 minutes · No subscription
Open Source Hardware

3D Printed Beekeeping Tools

Printable designs for tools that every beekeeper needs. Use PETG for anything outdoors — it handles UV, heat, and moisture far better than PLA.

Watering Station
Bee Watering Station
A shallow tray with a raised landing grid so bees can drink without drowning. Fill with pebbles for extra perches. Place within 200 m of the hive during summer.
~4 h print PETG No supports
Coming soon
Entrance Reducer
Entrance Reducer
A slide-in reducer that narrows the hive entrance so a new colony can defend against robbing and wasps. Adjustable from 10 cm down to 2 cm.
~1 h print PETG No supports
Coming soon
Frame Rest
Frame Rest
Clips onto the outside of a hive box to hold frames during inspection — keeping them clean, off the ground, and out of your hands while you work.
~2 h print PETG or ASA No supports
Coming soon
Common Questions

What New Beekeepers Ask

Straight answers to the questions that come up in every first season.

How many hives should I start with?
Two. With two hives you can compare colonies side-by-side, which makes diagnosing problems far easier. You can also transfer a frame of brood or eggs from a strong hive to a struggling one — something impossible with only one.
When is the best time to start?
Spring, four to six weeks before your main local nectar flow. In most of Europe this means March to April. Starting too late means the colony will not build up sufficient stores before winter.
How far do bees forage? Do I need to own the land?
Bees forage up to 3 km from the hive, covering roughly 28 km² of territory. You do not need to own it — but knowing what is in it matters. Use the habitat checker above to score your specific location.
How often should I inspect the hive?
Every 7–10 days during the active season, spring through early autumn. This matches the worker development cycle and lets you catch queen issues before they become crises. In winter, inspect as little as possible — check stores and cluster health only on warm days above 12°C.
Do I need a licence or planning permission?
In most European countries no licence is required, but registration with the national beekeeping authority is often mandatory and always advisable for disease traceability. Check local bylaws for distance requirements from boundaries and footpaths.
Can bees thrive in cities and suburbs?
Yes — urban bees often outperform rural ones, thanks to diverse garden planting, longer flowering seasons, and less pesticide exposure than intensive farmland. The habitat checker will show you the specific land-use mix near any proposed site.
What kills most beginner colonies?
Varroa mite infestation is the single largest cause of colony loss worldwide. Treat at the right time — typically late summer after the honey harvest, and again in late autumn — and monitor mite levels regularly. Starvation in late winter is the second most common cause; always leave adequate stores or supplement with fondant.
How does continuous monitoring help?
Inspections are snapshots taken days apart. A sensor provides continuous data: a sudden temperature drop can signal a dead queen or a broken winter cluster; a CO₂ spike often precedes swarming; abnormal sound frequencies can indicate distress. You can also verify whether feeding or other interventions are having an effect between visits.

Start tracking your colony

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