While you’ll be spending a lot of time inspecting your bees in the first few years, the long-term goal is to open your hives as little as possible while still tracking activities and changes throughout the season.
Expect to spend 15 to 30 hours in your first year to care for one hive. You’ll need more time with each additional hive you maintain. Spring will be your busiest time because you’ll be working directly in the hives. You will perform routine inspections every 1-2 weeks. Make any necessary hive repairs and keep a record of normal and abnormal bee behavior.
Winter is the time to do more research and prepare for the busy time during the warmer months. Research is an important part of beekeeping as the learning never ends. Even the most experienced beekeepers need to do research when a new problem arises.
Beekeeping takes up as much time as you want to put into it. The time you spend will depend on your goals and management style. When done properly, beekeeping can be a rewarding activity.
If you’re ready to move forward with beekeeping, check out our ultimate guide for how to become a beekeeper, then head over to our equipment page to see our lists of the best beekeeping equipment for beginners.