The Complete Hive Inspection Checklist for 2026

Before You Open the Hive

A good inspection starts before you lift the lid. Preparation saves time and reduces stress on your bees.

Equipment Checklist

• Smoker (lit and producing cool, white smoke)
• Hive tool
• Bee brush (optional)
• Protective gear (veil, gloves, suit)
• Your phone with HiveSense (or a notebook)
• Queen marking pen (if planning to mark)
• Spare frames or supers (if adding space)

Conditions Check

• Temperature: Ideally above 15°C / 59°F. Bees are calmer in warm weather.
• Wind: Light wind is fine. Strong wind makes bees defensive.
• Time of day: Mid-morning to early afternoon — many foragers are out.
• Nectar flow: Know your local flow calendar. Bees are gentler during a flow.

The Inspection — What to Look For

Work through the hive systematically, frame by frame. Here's what to check:

1. Queen Status

The most important question: is the queen present and laying?

• Direct sighting: Spot the queen herself (look for the largest bee, often on a brood frame)
• Eggs: Fresh eggs (standing upright in cells) confirm the queen was active within the last 3 days
• Laying pattern: A good queen lays in a solid, concentric pattern. Spotty brood suggests a failing queen or disease.

Record: Queen seen/not seen, egg presence, laying pattern quality (solid/spotty/drone-laying). For a full list of beekeeping terms, see our glossary.

2. Brood Health

Examine the brood frames carefully:

• Capped brood: Should be tan/brown with slightly convex cappings. Sunken, greasy, or perforated cappings can indicate disease (American Foulbrood, European Foulbrood).

• Larvae: Healthy larvae are pearly white, C-shaped, and glistening. Discolored or twisted larvae are a concern.
• Brood pattern: Solid patterns indicate a healthy queen. Scattered or "shotgun" brood patterns warrant investigation.

Record: Brood stages present (eggs, larvae, capped), pattern quality, any abnormalities

3. Population & Temperament

Assess the overall colony strength:

• Bee coverage: How many frames are covered with bees? A strong colony in peak season covers 8-10 frames in a standard Langstroth.
• Temperament: Are the bees calm, slightly agitated, or highly defensive? Sudden temperament changes can indicate queenlessness.
• Age distribution: A mix of young (fuzzy) and older (darker, smoother) bees is normal.

Record: Frames of bees, temperament (calm/nervous/aggressive), estimated population trend (growing/stable/declining)

4. Food Stores

• Honey: Check outer frames for capped honey stores. In spring, 2-3 frames is adequate. Going into winter, you need 18-27 kg (40-60 lbs) depending on your climate.
• Pollen: Multi-colored pollen packed into cells near the brood nest is a good sign. Lack of pollen limits brood rearing.
• Nectar: Fresh, glistening nectar in cells indicates active foraging.

Record: Honey frames (count), pollen presence, nectar incoming (yes/no), feeding needed (yes/no)

5. Pests & Disease

Look for signs of common threats:

• Varroa mites: Check for mites on bees (especially drones) and on the bottom board. Consider doing a sugar roll or alcohol wash for an accurate count — >3 mites per 100 bees is the treatment threshold.
• Small hive beetles: Check inner cover, frame tops, and corners. A few beetles are normal in some regions; large numbers indicate a problem.
• Wax moths: Webbing, tunneling through comb, and silk-lined cavities. More common in weak colonies.
• Foulbrood: The "rope test" — insert a matchstick into suspect cells. If the contents stretch into a brown, ropey strand (>2cm), suspect American Foulbrood. Contact your local inspector.

Record: Varroa count (if performed), beetles seen (none/few/many), any disease signs

6. Space & Equipment

• Is the colony running out of room? If 80%+ of frames are occupied, add a super or brood box.
• Queen cells: Swarm cells (on frame bottoms) vs. supersedure cells (on frame faces). Swarm cells with larvae = the colony is preparing to swarm.
• Equipment condition: Damaged frames, warped boxes, cracked bottom boards — note anything that needs repair.

Record: Space adequate (yes/no), queen cells (none/swarm/supersedure), supers added/removed, equipment needing repair

After the Inspection

• Reassemble the hive in the correct order. Replace frames gently.
• Record everything while it's fresh. If you're using HiveSense, you've already been speaking your notes throughout the inspection.
• Plan your next steps: Does the colony need feeding? A treatment? More space? A follow-up check in a few days?
• Set a reminder for your next inspection (typically every 7-14 days during the active season).

How Often to Inspect

• Spring (buildup): Every 7-10 days to monitor growth and watch for swarm preparations
• Summer (peak): Every 10-14 days for maintenance and honey super management
• Fall (wind-down): Every 2-3 weeks, focusing on Varroa treatment and winter food stores
• Winter: External observation only — check entrance activity on warm days, ensure ventilation, and heft the hive for weight (food stores)

Pro Tip: Go Hands-Free

The hardest part of hive inspections isn't the bees — it's recording your observations. With gloves on, a smoker in one hand, and a hive tool in the other, writing notes is nearly impossible.

Voice-to-text solves this. With HiveSense, you speak your observations as you work ("queen spotted on frame 5, good brood pattern, adding a super") and the app transcribes everything on your device. No internet needed, no taking off your gloves, no trying to remember everything after the inspection.