What two extension guides say to do before, during and after your bees arrive.
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This checklist puts two extension guides side by side: Mississippi State University Extension's Beginning Beekeeping in Mississippi (MSU) and the Mid-Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium's beginner pages (MAAREC). Their dates differ because Mississippi and the Mid-Atlantic differ. Your local timing may differ from both, so treat this as a map of the steps and ask a local beekeeper or your state apiary office for your dates.
| When | What | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| The autumn or winter before | Start preparing: learn, choose and buy your equipment. | MSU says preparations should begin no later than the previous autumn or winter. MAAREC says beginners should buy equipment early so they can assemble and paint hives before the bees arrive. |
| January (Mississippi) or January–February (Mid-Atlantic) | Order your bees. | MSU: order early in January. MAAREC: order packages in January or February for early-spring (April) delivery. |
| Before the bees arrive | Hive assembled, in place and ready. | MAAREC. |
| Arrival week | Install your bees. Feed them. | MAAREC: install as soon as possible, though you can wait up to 48 hours with little difficulty. |
| Spring to mid-July | Grow the colony to two or three boxes. | MSU, for Mississippi: build to two to three boxes before mid-July. |
| Early to mid-July (Mississippi) | Varroa mite treatment starts in the first year, per MSU's advice. | MSU calls this advice controversial and says it applies to new colonies in Mississippi. Ask your state apiarist what's right for your area. |
MSU's guide aims to help new beekeepers get started and help new colonies survive their first winter. Even Flow Hive's support page tells owners to consult local beekeepers about pests and diseases in their area, which is good advice for any hive type.
MAAREC says a pound of package bees is about 3,500 bees. It says to alert the post office about the expected arrival date, to have the hive ready, and warns that package bees could die if installed on foundation below 57°F (14°C).
MSU says to use refined white table sugar with no yellow or brown color for syrup, and not to use entrance feeders. (Some kits include one; see the kit page.)
Flow Hive's support page says that even its hives need to be opened for inspection, that the number of inspections varies a great deal, and that in places with a lot of bee disease many beekeepers inspect every month or six weeks in spring and summer. It says to avoid opening a hive in cold weather (under 15°C, about 59°F).
MSU calls varroa mites the most serious health threat honey bees currently face. It also says screened bottom boards can take cardboard inserts used for sampling and estimating varroa populations. Treatment timing and products are regional; follow the label and ask your state apiarist or local club.
Winter preparation varies a lot by region and we haven't sourced it for this page. Ask your local extension service or beekeeping club.
Source: MSU Extension, Beginning Beekeeping in Mississippi (P3594); MAAREC, Package bees; MAAREC, Beekeeping equipment. Checked Oct 26, 2026.
Source (maker or seller page, not linked): Flow Hive support page "Do I need to treat for pests and diseases like AFB and Varroa?" (support.honeyflow.com, Jun 21, 2022). Checked Oct 26, 2026. These are the seller's own statements, not our testing.