Top 5 Beekeeping Apps To Improve Yield Odds

The best beekeeping apps can eliminate a great deal of guesswork.

Whether you keep two hives in your backyard or twenty spread across a few yards, a good collection of beekeeping apps will keep your records neat, your timing accurate, and your colonies less of a mystery.

Top 5 Beekeeping Apps

1. Hive Tracks

With Hive Tracks, you can record inspections, sightings of the queen, treatments, feeding, and honey harvests for each hive so that you can review later what took place and when.

A note such as ‘queen not seen, eggs present’ ends up reducing worries a lot two weeks later.

After you’ve carried out many inspections, certain patterns will start to emerge. You’ll be able to tell which hives tend to build up early, which ones are difficult to manage, and which queens are worth retaining.

The system also includes task reminders to make sure you don’t forget the follow-up mite check. Since the features and pricing are subject to change over time, it’s important to look at the current free and paid options before making a decision.

2. iApiary

If you have beehives in more than one place, then iApiary is worth considering. The programme is based on monitoring everything from the apiary right down to each hive.

There are some situations in which it is more useful to compare one yard with another than to just look at a single hive, so you should think carefully about the way in which you keep your records.

The app is well suited to sideline and small commercial beekeepers who need to keep their treatments, harvests, and inspection notes in order.

3. BroodMinder

BroodMinder works with small hive sensors which monitor factors such as temperature and humidity, and with certain models it is also possible to monitor weight.

The app then displays how these figures change over time.

Although you have to purchase the hardware in addition to installing the app, this is essentially an investment. That said, if you have a remote yard, it can save you making a lot of unnecessary trips.

4. Windy

Since beekeepers have to rely on the weather, it makes sense to have a good forecast app on your home screen. Although Windy isn’t strictly a beekeeping app, it does deserve a spot there.

It presents information about wind, rain, temperature, and cloud cover in a clear visual format, which makes it easy to plan your day.

The ideal time to carry out an inspection is generally a warm and calm afternoon, since that’s when the foragers are out and about. If you open the hive in cold wind or just before a storm, you’ll quickly end up with annoyed bees and a cold brood nest.

5. Seek by iNaturalist

When you are familiar with the local flora, you are then in a position to predict nectar flows, identify any gaps during the season, and decide if it is worthwhile planting something to cover those gaps.

Additionally, you will be able to recognise the trees and weeds that are important to bees, for example, willows in early spring or goldenrod in autumn.

Although plant identification apps are not perfect, it is a good idea to check any significant cases against a local field guide.

Benefits of Beekeeping Apps

To avoid having your paper notebook left behind, there’s nothing wrong with keeping one in your bee bag as a backup.

You should use your beekeeping apps as a means of supporting good habits, not as a substitute for paying attention to the hive.