Beekeeping Learning Center
Clear, practical answers to the questions beekeepers actually ask, like how much to feed, when to expect a new queen and what goes on a honey label. Every guide pairs with a free tool to do the math for you.
Queen Timing
Queen Marking Colors Explained
What the queen marking colors mean, the year color code, the mnemonic, and how to mark a queen yourself.
5 min read
My Hive Swarmed, Now What?
What happens after a colony swarms, a week-by-week recovery timeline, what not to do, and when to step in.
7 min read
How to Make a Walk-Away Split
A step-by-step walk-away split, what to expect day by day, and the one rule that decides whether it works.
7 min read
When Will My New Queen Start Laying?
Realistic timelines for splits, swarms, queen cells and purchased queens, plus when checking helps and when it hurts.
7 min read
Bee Development Timeline
How long a worker, drone and queen take to develop stage by stage, and how to use the bee math chart to time splits, egg checks and brood breaks.
5 min read
Pest Management
How to Check for Varroa Mites
The alcohol wash step by step, how many bees to sample, doing the math and how it compares to a sugar roll or sticky board.
7 min read
Oxalic Acid for Varroa
Dribble, vaporization and extended release compared, why oxalic acid only works broodless, and how to dose it safely.
8 min read
Formic Acid for Varroa
The one treatment that reaches mites under the cappings and can run with supers on, plus the temperature limits that make or break it.
7 min read
Amitraz (Apivar) for Varroa
The commercial workhorse: how amitraz strips work over a brood cycle, the temperature and super rules, and why resistance means you have to rotate.
7 min read
Thymol (Apiguard) for Varroa
The essential-oil option: how thymol works, the temperature window it needs, its effect on brood, and where it fits after the harvest.
7 min read
Which Varroa Treatment Should I Use?
Pick a treatment by season, temperature, brood and whether your supers are on, with oxalic, formic, thymol and amitraz compared.
8 min read
Integrated Pest Management for Varroa
Beat mites with more than chemicals: brood breaks, drone trapping, resistant stock and monitoring working together across the season.
9 min read
When to Treat for Varroa Mites
When to test, the mite counts that should trigger a treatment, and why the late summer window decides winter survival.
8 min read
Harvest
Honey Labeling Requirements
What US law requires on a honey label: the federal basics every jar needs, when a nutrition panel is required, and how to find your own state rules.
8 min read
When to Harvest Honey
How to tell honey is ready, how much to leave the bees, and the timing that protects both the harvest and the colony.
6 min read
Beekeeping Tools and Calculators
Jump straight to the calculators for syrup ratios, queen timelines, winter feed, honey yield, and more.
Choosing a Beekeeping App?
An honest look at what's free, what's a free tier and what's a subscription, including where the paid apps beat us.