Not sure what to do with your hive right now? This is Beewise's Australian beekeeping guide — a practical beekeeping calendar built around what your hive actually needs, not a generic checklist. Whether you're researching how to start beekeeping in Australia for the first time, or you keep bees already and want a month-by-month refresher, this action table covers the full run of beekeeping tasks by season: your first-day kit and bees, spring build-up, swarm control, honey harvest, autumn varroa treatment and winter hive prep. Tell us where you're up to and the table below shows just the jobs that apply — when to do them, how often, and the guide and gear for each.
🗓️ Timings suit temperate southern Australia. In the tropical north or cooler alpine areas, shift them to match your local conditions — watch your hive, not just the calendar.
| When | What to do | Category | How often | Read / Get |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Setup · one-off | Get your first-day kit & bees Hive, protective gear, tools, frames, a feeder — plus a nucleus colony to install in spring. | Getting started | One-off | 📖 How to install a nuc · 🛒 beehive starter kits, nucleus colonies (nucs), protective beekeeping gear |
| Setup · one-off | Brand your hive equipment Burn or stencil your registered beekeeper number onto hive parts to deter theft. | Asset protection | One-off | 🛒 beehive boxes |
| Late winter – spring | Feed sugar syrup for build-up Supplement stores with 1:1 syrup to prevent starvation during spring build-up. | Colony mgt | Every 7–10 days | 🛒 bee feeders, bee nutrition & feed |
| Spring | Replace old comb Rotate out old, dark or damaged combs for fresh foundation to lower disease risk. | Biosecurity | ~20% frames/yr | 🛒 beehive frames, wax foundation |
| Spring – early summer | Swarm control — check for queen cells A new queen emerges in 16 days; miss this loop and the colony swarms, losing half your bees. | Colony mgt | Every 7–8 days | 📖 Demaree, swarm traps · 🛒 extra hive boxes |
| Spring – autumn | Check the hive is queenright Confirm eggs or a laying queen each inspection — a queenless colony dwindles fast. | Colony mgt | Every inspection | 📖 Spot a queenless hive, is it queenless?, meet the queen |
| Spring & autumn | Disease inspection (AFB / EFB) Check brood combs for foulbrood — it's notifiable, report any find. | Biosecurity | Every 3–6 months | 📖 AFB, EFB · 🛒 disease diagnostic testing |
| Summer – autumn | Monitor & control pests Watch for small hive beetle, wax moth and ants — worst in the heat and in stored comb. | Biosecurity | Each inspection | 📖 Hive beetle, wax moth, ants · 🛒 small hive beetle control |
| Before summer | Clear firebreaks & weeds Remove dry grass and debris around the apiary to prevent bushfire and clear flight paths. | Site / fire mgt | Every 1–2 months | — |
| Spring – summer | Add supers as the hive fills Add a box when the current one is crowded, giving space for honey and brood. | Production | As needed | 🛒 honey supers, super frames |
| All year · summer peak | Keep clean water available Provide continuous clean water with floats so bees don't drown — critical in the heat. | Site mgt | Daily | — |
| Summer peak | Move hives to follow the flow Migratory beekeepers move hives at night to follow flowering plants and maximise honey. | Logistics | Per nectar flow | 🛒 Kaptárlift trolleys, hive tie-down straps |
| Summer – early autumn | Harvest honey — when capped Remove frames once bees have sealed the cells. Check moisture is below ~18–20%. | Production | When capped | 📖 Refractometer · 🛒 honey extractors |
| Summer – early autumn | Extract & process honey Uncap the seals and spin in a centrifugal extractor — do it quickly for quality & hygiene. | Processing | Right after harvest | 🛒 uncapping tools, honey extractors, Königin |
| Summer – autumn | Refine your beeswax Melt and refine wax cappings (a solar melter works well) for candles, wraps or exchange. | Resource recovery | After processing | 📖 Beeswax wraps · 🛒 candle & wrap making supplies |
| Autumn · after supers off | Treat for varroa — the key window The critical treatment window, once honey supers are off, to protect your winter bees. | Biosecurity | Seasonal | 📖 Oxalic acid · 🛒 varroa mite treatment products |
| Autumn (or spring) | Requeen with a young queen Replace an old or failing queen with a young, docile one — autumn is preferred. | Colony mgt | Every 1–2 years | 📖 Find the queen, royal jelly & rearing · 🛒 Australian queen bees |
| Early winter | Prepare for winter Reduce hive space, narrow entrances, and tilt the hive slightly forward for drainage. | Colony mgt | Once a year | 📖 Winter prep · 🛒 hive entrance reducers |
| Winter · broodless | Oxalic acid — the broodless window The most effective varroa knock-down of the year, while the hive is naturally broodless. | Biosecurity | Once (broodless) | 📖 Oxalic acid · 🛒 Oxalika oxalic acid vaporiser |
| All year · every visit | Operate the smoker safely Use the smoker over a fireproof container and clear 1.5 m of flammable material. | Fire safety | Every hive visit | 📖 Using a smoker · 🛒 bee smokers, smoker safety bucket |
| Winter · quiet season | Clean, repair & plan Clean and repair gear, deal with dead-outs, and plan & order for spring. | Hive hygiene | Annual | 📖 Cleaning gear, dead-outs |
| All year · before sale | Filter & package honey Filter out impurities and pack into clean, correctly labelled containers. | Processing | Before sale | 🛒 Swienty packing, honey jars & packaging |
| All year · before sale | Sell legally & label correctly Ensure honey meets legal standards; labels show net weight and your contact details. | Selling / legal | Before sale | 🛒 honey labels & jars |
📖 = read the guide · 🛒 = get the gear. New to a term? See the beekeeping glossary. More how-to guides are on the way — we're filling them in.
How to use this beekeeping calendar
This guide brings together what a beekeeper in Australia needs to know, organised as a seasonal action table rather than a long article — because beekeeping is hands-on, and you're usually looking for the next job, not a history lesson. Each row shows when to act, what to do, how often, and links through to a full how-to guide plus the beekeeping supplies to do it.
New to the hobby and want to know how to start beekeeping in Australia? Start with "Just starting? Your first-day kit" below — it covers the bee hive starter kit, protective gear and tools every beginner beekeeper needs before their bees arrive. Already have a hive? Use the stage filter above to jump straight to what's relevant: swarm control in spring, harvesting and extracting honey in summer, treating for varroa in autumn, or preparing for winter.
Beekeeping in Australia varies a lot by region, and this calendar can't cover every microclimate. Task timings here suit temperate southern Australia — NSW, VIC, SA, Tasmania and southern WA. In tropical and sub-tropical areas, including much of QLD, the NT and northern WA, your hive's calendar runs earlier and the seasons blur together, so watch your bees and local conditions rather than the calendar dates alone. Wherever you are, the underlying tasks — inspections, pest and disease checks, honey harvest, requeening and winter prep — stay the same; only the timing shifts.
New to the terminology? Our beekeeping glossary explains terms like queenright, nuc and capped brood in plain English. And every task above links to a full guide plus the beekeeping gear and supplies you'll need — from Beewise, an Australian family-owned beekeeping supplies business since 1960, with showrooms in Perth and Sydney.
Just starting? Your first-day kit
- 🐝 A hive — Apimaye insulated or timber
- 🐝 Bees — a nucleus (nuc)
- 🧥 Protective gear — suit, gloves & veil
- 🔧 Tools — smoker, hive tool & brush, and a feeder
➡️ Shop complete beekeeping starter kits — or call the team on 1800 BEEWISE.
Frequently Asked Questions
When is the best time to start beekeeping in Australia?
Spring (September–October) is ideal — warming weather, flowers coming on, and a full season for your bees to build up before winter.
How often should I inspect my hive?
Every 7–14 days through the active season — and in spring, every 7–8 days to catch queen cells before the colony swarms. In winter, leave the hive closed.
Do I have to treat for varroa in Australia?
Yes, wherever varroa is established you must monitor and treat. See our varroa treatment guide.
How do I start beekeeping in Australia?
Get your first-day kit — a hive, protective gear, tools and a feeder — then install a nucleus colony (nuc) in spring once the weather is warming and flowers are on. Check your state's registration requirements first (all Australian states require registered beekeepers). See "Just starting? Your first-day kit" above for the full list.
What do beginner beekeepers need to get started?
A hive (timber or insulated), a nucleus colony of bees, a full protective suit with gloves and veil, a smoker, a hive tool, and a feeder for spring build-up. Most beginners buy these as a bee hive starter kit rather than sourcing each item separately — see our starter kits.
What's in a bee hive starter kit?
A typical beehive starter kit includes a hive body with frames and foundation, a lid and base, a protective suit and gloves, a smoker, a hive tool, and often a feeder. Bees (a nucleus colony) are usually bought separately and timed for spring delivery.
Where can I buy beekeeping supplies in Australia?
Beewise has been an Australian beekeeping supplies retailer since 1960, with showrooms in Perth and Sydney and shipping nationwide. Every task in the calendar above links directly to the gear you need for that job.
Does the beekeeping calendar change between states?
Yes. The timings on this page suit temperate southern Australia — NSW, VIC, SA, Tasmania and southern WA. In tropical Queensland, the NT and northern WA, seasons blur and hives often build up earlier, so use your hive's condition, not the calendar date, as your guide.
How many beehives should a beginner start with?
Most beekeeping associations recommend starting with two hives rather than one. It's easier to judge whether a colony is healthy when you have a second hive to compare against, and you can use resources from one to rescue the other if something goes wrong.
Family-owned & Australian since 1960 · Showrooms in Perth & Sydney · 1800 BEEWISE