diff --git a/beets/dbcore/query.py b/beets/dbcore/query.py
index 470ca2ac6..f1d28a7a8 100644
--- a/beets/dbcore/query.py
+++ b/beets/dbcore/query.py
@@ -561,7 +561,7 @@ class Period(object):
             date = datetime.strptime(string, date_format)
         except ValueError:
             # Parsing failed.
-            return None
+            raise InvalidQueryArgumentTypeError(string, datetime)
         precision = cls.precisions[ordinal]
         return cls(date, precision)
 
diff --git a/test/test_datequery.py b/test/test_datequery.py
index 1e1625db2..0bb1378a3 100644
--- a/test/test_datequery.py
+++ b/test/test_datequery.py
@@ -21,7 +21,7 @@ from test import _common
 from datetime import datetime
 import unittest
 import time
-from beets.dbcore.query import _parse_periods, DateInterval, DateQuery
+from beets.dbcore.query import _parse_periods, DateInterval, DateQuery, InvalidQueryArgumentTypeError
 
 
 def _date(string):
@@ -117,7 +117,8 @@ class DateQueryTest(_common.LibTestCase):
 
 class DateQueryConstructTest(unittest.TestCase):
     def test_long_numbers(self):
-        DateQuery('added', '1409830085..1412422089')
+        with self.assertRaises(InvalidQueryArgumentTypeError):
+            DateQuery('added', '1409830085..1412422089')
 
     def test_too_many_components(self):
         DateQuery('added', '12-34-56-78')