Colony Health Triage Tool for Beekeepers
This interactive colony health triage tool is designed to help UK beekeepers narrow down possible causes of common hive problems. It is not a diagnosis tool, but it can help you think through likely causes, sensible next checks and situations where you may need urgent help. If you already know the problem is broadly disease-related, start with the bee diseases and pests overview. If you want a simpler symptom-to-action route, use the bee health checker.
You can use it to work through symptoms linked to brood problems, robbing, wasp pressure, varroa, queen issues, starvation risk, unusual entrance activity, aggressive behaviour and suspected pests. It is especially useful when you are unsure what to look for next during or after an inspection. For example, likely varroa-related outcomes should lead you toward the varroa quick-start guide, suspicious brood signs toward bacterial bee diseases or viral bee diseases, and predator or scavenger issues toward the bee pests guide.
If you suspect a notifiable disease or pest, do not move bees, frames, hives or equipment. Follow official UK guidance and contact the appropriate reporting route.
How this checker works
This tool is a triage helper. It does not diagnose disease — it helps narrow down what to check next.
- Step 1: Pick what you’re mainly seeing.
- Step 2: Answer what you can.
- Step 3: Get likely outcomes.
What to read next
This triage tool is designed to help you narrow things down, not to be the final word. Once you have a likely direction, the pages below will help you read the right guide next and avoid jumping between unrelated disease pages.
- I want the main overview first: Bee diseases and pests overview
- This feels like a varroa-related issue: Varroa quick-start guide
- The brood looks suspicious and foulbrood is on my mind: Bacterial bee diseases
- The colony seems stressed, crawling or virus-affected: Viral bee diseases
- I think this is more likely a pest or predator problem: Bee pests guide
- The problem does not fit neatly into disease or pest categories: Other colony conditions
- I want a printable symptom-to-action reference: Printable bee health checker
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a colony health triage tool?
A colony health triage tool helps you narrow down possible causes of a hive problem based on what you are seeing, such as queen issues, brood symptoms, robbing, pests or low stores. It does not replace inspection, testing or official diagnosis.
Can this tool diagnose foulbrood or other notifiable diseases?
No. This tool does not diagnose disease. If you see ropey larvae, suspicious brood symptoms or signs of a notifiable pest or disease, do not move bees or equipment and follow official UK guidance.
Is this tool only for UK beekeepers?
This version has been written for UK beekeeping conditions, terminology and reporting context, so it is most relevant to beekeepers in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Can beginners use the colony health triage tool?
Yes. It is designed to help beginners and hobby beekeepers think through what they are seeing and what to check next, especially when symptoms overlap or the cause is not obvious.
What kinds of bee colony problems does this page cover?
The tool covers queen and brood concerns, dead or crawling bees, robbing, feeding and stores issues, comb-building problems, pests and predators, brood disease symptoms, and sudden temperament changes.