Winter Stores and Weight Check Log
Turn a series of guesses about whether a hive feels heavy into a column you can read down, so a colony losing weight quickly is visible before it is in trouble.
BK-14 1 page
Beekeeping · BK-15
Autumn Hive Winter Preparation Checklist
A free printable hive winter preparation checklist: each hive's autumn jobs, from uniting and feeding to mouse guards and strapping, with the spring reopening.
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One page. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.
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The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.
What this sheet is for
Track every hive through its autumn jobs so none goes into winter with a gap. One column per hive shows at a glance which still needs a mouse guard or a strap.
Who it is for
Beekeepers with several hives, and association apiaries shared by members.
How to use it
- Write each hive's number at the top of a column.
- Date each job in that hive's column as it is done, or put a dash if it does not apply.
- Note in the notes which hive a weak or queenless colony was united with.
- In spring, date the last row as each mouse guard comes off and the entrance opens.
- Keep the sheet with your hive records to plan next autumn.
What is on the sheet
One page, top to bottom:
Printed under the title: Each hive's autumn jobs in its own column, dated as they are done, from judging colony strength to strapping the roof, with the spring reopening at the foot.
Date it when it is done. Write the date in the box when the job is done, a dash if it does not apply. No dates, weights or treatments are printed: when to feed and finish feeding, how heavy a hive should heft, and which varroa treatment to use come from your local association, your bee inspector and the product label. Check the rules where you are.
Write-on lines: Apiary · Year · Beekeeper
Also printed: Hive number, written in · Job · Colony · Strength judged (frames of bees) · Queenright: queen or eggs seen · Weak or queenless colony united · Stores hefted or weighed · Feeding finished, feeder off · Varroa checked, treatment done · Hive · Mouse guard fitted · Woodpecker cage or netting on · Entrance reduced · Insulation over the crownboard · Roof strapped or weighted · Stand firm and level, floor sound · Hive and roof watertight · Spring · Mouse guard off, entrance opened
Questions
Why are no feeding dates, hive weights or treatments printed?
Because they depend on your climate, your bees and the products allowed where you are. Your local association, your bee inspector and the product label are the sources, so the sheet records that each job was done and leaves the figures to them.
How is this different from the winter stores and weight check log?
The weight log follows how heavy each hive is through the winter. This sheet is the autumn round of jobs that gets each hive ready, from uniting to strapping the roof, with the spring reopening at the end.
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