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Free Printable Hive Inspection Sheet (PDF) — Beekeeping Record
| Date / weather | Hive | Queen / eggs | Brood pattern | Stores (honey / pollen) | Temper | Pests / mites | Actions & next visit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
When and how often to inspect
During the active season most beekeepers open a hive every 7 to 10 days — often enough to catch swarm preparations, which take about that long from egg to capped queen cell, and seldom enough not to set the colony back. Inspect on a warm, calm, sunny day when foragers are out and the hive is calmer and emptier. In cold months, inspections are brief or skipped; heft the hive to judge stores instead and log that.
Keep the sheet short at the hive and add detail afterwards if needed. Eggs seen means the queen was present within the last three days even if you never saw her; that one tick replaces a long search. Write the varroa count from an alcohol wash or sugar roll as mites per 100 bees so visits are comparable — the varroa mite calculator on this site does the arithmetic.
What to check and what it usually means
| Check | Looks right | Worth noting |
|---|---|---|
| Queen / eggs | Eggs standing upright in cells: queen laid within ~3 days | No eggs or young larvae for two visits; multiple eggs per cell (laying workers) |
| Brood pattern | Solid, compact capped brood with few empty cells | Spotty pattern, sunken or perforated cappings, discolored larvae |
| Queen cells | None, or a few play cups | Charged swarm cells along frame bottoms; supersedure cells on the face |
| Stores | Band of pollen and honey around the brood; frames of capped honey | Light hive going into dearth or winter; no pollen |
| Space | Bees covering most frames with room to expand | Bearding and congestion (add space); too much empty space in a weak hive |
| Temperament | Calm bees, little following | Sudden defensiveness: queenless, dearth, robbing, or weather |
| Pests / disease | Few hive beetles, no wax moth webbing, mite count low | Rising mite count; deformed wings; beetles in numbers; foul smell |
Thresholds and treatment choices vary by region and season — use your local association's guidance. The sheet records what you saw; it does not prescribe treatment.
How to use this sheet
- Print the PDF — one sheet per hive, or one shared sheet for a small apiary — and keep it in the toolbox or on a clipboard.
- Before opening, write the date, weather, and what you intend to check; after, fill the row while it is fresh.
- Tick Queen or Eggs; note the brood pattern in a word or two (solid, spotty); estimate stores in frames.
- Record mite counts as mites per 100 bees from a wash or roll, and any pests seen.
- Finish with what you did (added a super, swapped frames) and what the next visit should check.
Questions
Is this sheet really free?
Yes. The PDF is free to download and print — no sign-up, no email, no watermark.
How often should I inspect a beehive?
Roughly every 7 to 10 days during the active season, less often in cool weather and rarely in winter. The interval matters for swarm control — a capped queen cell can appear within about eight days of the egg being laid.
Do I need to find the queen every time?
No. Eggs are proof the queen was laying within the last three days. Most experienced beekeepers look for eggs and young larvae and only search for the queen when they need to mark, move, or replace her.
How do I record a varroa count?
As mites per 100 bees from an alcohol wash or sugar roll — a half cup of bees is about 300, so divide the mites found by three. The varroa mite calculator on this site does the conversion.
Is there an app version?
Yes — Combwise for iPhone records inspections per hive, mite counts, treatments, and feeding, and reminds you when the next inspection is due. Core is free, no account needed, and your data stays on your device.
Want the log to analyze itself?
Combwise for iPhone tracks the same things in seconds and shows you the patterns — free core, no account, and everything stays on your device.