🐝 Free Resources

Tools for the Working Beekeeper

Printable guides, seasonal calendars, and checklists built for real backyard beekeepers — not big commercial operations. All free. No strings attached.

Featured Tool

Your Beekeeping Calendar

Enter your ZIP code and get a month-by-month beekeeping calendar tailored to your USDA hardiness zone. Now with its own dedicated page.

📍 Find Your Zone Calendar

Enter your ZIP code and we'll show you a full year of beekeeping guidance for your zone — swarm season, nectar flow, varroa windows, and dearth.

Open the Calendar →

Free Downloads

Everything here is free to download, print, and use in your apiary. Built from real first-year experience — not textbook theory.

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Inspection
Hive Inspection Sheet
A one-page printable inspection log covering population, brood pattern, queen status, pest pressure, feeding, and notes.
↓ Download PDF
🛒
Getting Started
First Year Equipment Checklist
What you actually need vs. what the catalogs want you to buy. Budget-first, Bootstrap philosophy.
Coming Soon
🐛
Pest Management
Small Hive Beetle IPM Checklist
Southern-specific SHB management — oil traps, Swiffer sheets, nematodes, GardStar ground treatment.
↓ Download PDF
🔬
Varroa
Alcohol Wash Log
Track mite counts over time — date, sample size, count, and percentage — so you can catch trends early.
↓ Download PDF
📦
New Package
Package Installation Guide
Step-by-step for your first package install with queen cage check timeline and early feeding schedule.
Coming Soon
☀️
Season
Summer Dearth Survival Guide
How to recognize dearth, when to feed, manage robbing, and what to watch for heading into fall.
↓ Download PDF
🐝
Family Beekeeping
Introducing Kids & Family to Beekeeping
The Bootstrap philosophy on letting curiosity lead — age-appropriate involvement, allergy awareness, sting response, and building a real connection with the hive.
↓ Download PDF
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