Can someone recommend a good hive management app for Android as well as a desktop computer that is either free or a one time charge (I don't want to pay a monthly or yearly subscription), one that will handle 50+ hives and I want to be able to download the hive information from my smartphone to my desktop computer when I get home from the apiary. Again, I don't mind paying for the app but I don't want to pay a monthly or yearly fee. There's some good apps out there but there is either a monthly or yearly charge or they wont allow me to download the information to my desktop computer when I get home. I'm not getting any younger and my vision is not the best and it's easier to review information and work with the data on my desktop computer vs my smartphone. Thanks in advance for your help.
Hive management app for Android
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Because I am a wimp, I wear gloves during inspections which makes it tough to do anything with a touch screen. I tried using my phone's camera but it got tedious removing my gloves all of the time.
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Depending on what type of phone you have you may not have to take your gloves off when taking pictures. For example, my dad has a Note (android) and he can push one of the buttons on the side a couple times and it unlocks the camera to take a picture. Once the camera is open you can push the button again to snap a picture. Worth a try! I like my gloves too!
Some phones have a verbal "cheese" mode that will take a picture. Look in the the camera settings... Mine will work with cheese, smile, whiskey, kimchi or "LG". Well it would if my microphone was not plugged up with dust 
You can get a tripod and video tape your inspection. Then download it to your desktop.
You will have to hand write the notes you verbally said on the video.
Not worth getting propolis on your phone if you want to take a pic.
You will have to hand write the notes you verbally said on the video.
Not worth getting propolis on your phone if you want to take a pic.
Hi, As I am new to this forum I also would like to know about this kind of hive management app because it is too easy for me to manage.
The only hive management app that I know of that works on desktop computer also, is HiveTracks, but sadly, they require monthly subscription fees. I do not use them.
What I do is record my hive inspections with a mini voice recorder that I ordered on Amazon. I clip it on my shirt and just talk to myself the whole time I'm doing inspections. That night when I get home I listen to the recording and add pertinent facts about each hive/outyard/swarm trap, mileage, expenses, etcetera to my Microsoft OneNote notebook.
Microsoft OneNote is a cross platform app, so I can access my notebook from desktop, phone, or ipad. It also allows you to insert audio notes, videos, pictures, and files into your notes. I used OneNote a long time ago when I was in nursing school to take notes with and I liked it then, this will be my first time using it since then, but I plan on keeping all my beekeeping notebooks digitally.
I also keep a Gopro camera on a tripod in my truck just in case I come across something that I want to show to myself again later.
What I do is record my hive inspections with a mini voice recorder that I ordered on Amazon. I clip it on my shirt and just talk to myself the whole time I'm doing inspections. That night when I get home I listen to the recording and add pertinent facts about each hive/outyard/swarm trap, mileage, expenses, etcetera to my Microsoft OneNote notebook.
Microsoft OneNote is a cross platform app, so I can access my notebook from desktop, phone, or ipad. It also allows you to insert audio notes, videos, pictures, and files into your notes. I used OneNote a long time ago when I was in nursing school to take notes with and I liked it then, this will be my first time using it since then, but I plan on keeping all my beekeeping notebooks digitally.
I also keep a Gopro camera on a tripod in my truck just in case I come across something that I want to show to myself again later.
I like the challenge of remembering every hive and the last inspection.
If you do not use it you loose it.
I like the gals at the restaurant who take the order with out paper, for 6 people, or the guys on TV who memorize the whole deck of cards.
Past 100 hives I can see some issues.....
GG
If you do not use it you loose it.
I like the gals at the restaurant who take the order with out paper, for 6 people, or the guys on TV who memorize the whole deck of cards.
Past 100 hives I can see some issues.....
GG
I use a notebook...
Pens still work with gloves on.
No need overcomplicating things...
View attachment 62791
Pens still work with gloves on.
No need overcomplicating things...
View attachment 62791
Attachments
Rocketbook could fit your need. Take notes in the field, take a pic with your cell phone and it will automatically send the document to email and other places.
Their books feature erasable pages but you can download free PDFs on their site to print, take notes, take pic, and pitch the notes. Then organize everything on your PC.
Free. Or their books start at $16 for a notepad size.
Their books feature erasable pages but you can download free PDFs on their site to print, take notes, take pic, and pitch the notes. Then organize everything on your PC.
Free. Or their books start at $16 for a notepad size.
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Because I was already somewhat old by the time home computers became a thing I was quite accustomed to using a pen and paper, which I still do and works well.
Now I have a computer and a printer so I print out a list of all the sites before each round of them, and make notes, not about individual hives but about the site. IE, NF means some hives there need a feed. I have a cheap felt pen in the truck and write on the lids stuff that pertains to individual hives, so for example if I had noted a site needs feeding, I would write on the lids of the hives that needed a feed so I know which ones to feed. For this I use a cheap pen so the ink wears off in a couple of months, so I don't end up with lids with stuff scrawled all over them.
Have looked at some computer software solutions but the paper system I'm used to works fine and takes no time.
Over here we do have software called Hive Hub which is supplied by the AFBPMP, a government appointed agency for managing and controlling AFB. Every beekeeper is required to use Hive Hub which is supplied free, and keeps some basic information about our hives. So I use that just to know how many hives are at various sites, where there has been disease, and a few other basics.
Now I have a computer and a printer so I print out a list of all the sites before each round of them, and make notes, not about individual hives but about the site. IE, NF means some hives there need a feed. I have a cheap felt pen in the truck and write on the lids stuff that pertains to individual hives, so for example if I had noted a site needs feeding, I would write on the lids of the hives that needed a feed so I know which ones to feed. For this I use a cheap pen so the ink wears off in a couple of months, so I don't end up with lids with stuff scrawled all over them.
Have looked at some computer software solutions but the paper system I'm used to works fine and takes no time.
Over here we do have software called Hive Hub which is supplied by the AFBPMP, a government appointed agency for managing and controlling AFB. Every beekeeper is required to use Hive Hub which is supplied free, and keeps some basic information about our hives. So I use that just to know how many hives are at various sites, where there has been disease, and a few other basics.
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I use a pad of pen and paper on a clipboard, then transfer my notes onto a custom Excel spreadsheet. Each bee yard has a separate sheet connected to a front cover summary, I can track hive inspections, costs and other issues. I am doing 34 hives in 7 yards this way and could easily expand and modify it it to almost amount of hives or yards. I use very expensive engineering platforms at wor, most of them are well overpriced, written by someone who has no knowledge of engineering and then dumbed down to generalized format to allow for the most user possible without having to specialize any section to a point of uselessness. I'm not big fan of YouTube, Tik Tok or other format knowledge (at least they think) media as usually its pretty bad.
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BeePlus Beekeeping Manager
Much more than an old notebook or some paper inspection sheets, BeePlus can help keep your apiaries organised and healthy, from tracking inspection records and honey harvested, to info on queens or where equipment is being used, add as much or as little detail as you need. • Build...
apps.apple.com
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I have this one on my iphone. Set up it up few years back but then never used it.
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I happened to get some free sample products of this line - Rite in the Rain.
These are note books that are not afraid of water or dirt.
If got them muddy - just rinse off.
These plus a pencil = done.
That is all the "hive management app" that I need.
Plus the memory that still is working OK.
However fancy you may be, beekeeping is akin to combat - your tools should not be afraid of water and dirt, and should not require a battery charger, and you should be able to step on them without damage.
Beekeeping is not a virtual trade.
Bee stings and sticky beehive crap (akin flying bullets or sharp nails) are not virtual.
Somehow some people keep seeing the reality through the computer screen as if in a game.
Another day took few phone pictures while working the bees - very inconvenient, let alone "trying to manage them" on my Samsung phone while in the completely propolised gloves.
PS: ok, I do have a couple of Excel spreadsheets and few folders with pictures - that's all one needs for hive management while at the home office.
These are note books that are not afraid of water or dirt.
If got them muddy - just rinse off.
These plus a pencil = done.
That is all the "hive management app" that I need.
Plus the memory that still is working OK.
However fancy you may be, beekeeping is akin to combat - your tools should not be afraid of water and dirt, and should not require a battery charger, and you should be able to step on them without damage.
Beekeeping is not a virtual trade.
Bee stings and sticky beehive crap (akin flying bullets or sharp nails) are not virtual.
Somehow some people keep seeing the reality through the computer screen as if in a game.
Another day took few phone pictures while working the bees - very inconvenient, let alone "trying to manage them" on my Samsung phone while in the completely propolised gloves.
PS: ok, I do have a couple of Excel spreadsheets and few folders with pictures - that's all one needs for hive management while at the home office.
You might want to check out this app, works on Android and desktop - www.apimanager.net
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Thanks for this. I never heard of apimanager, and am trying it out now. It looks quite good!
I tried a couple free apps, which were ok, and ended up buying a one year subscription to Apiary Book . This app has a lot of potential and the people whom own the app are very open to suggestions for improvement or change. It covers just about everything and I like the idea that I can sync my phone and have access to the same data via my desktop. The one thing I don't like is that it takes just as much time playing with the app after each hive inspection as it does to inspect the hive. I only have 12 hives and it took a long time to document everything. I think I'm going to go back to the old school pen and paper after my subscription expires. It's A LOT faster, I only write down what I want and best of all, it's almost free.
I don't want propolis all over my cell screen.
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I see people have talked about specific apps but I have not seen anything much on what an app should do or how it should do it. To have any hope of a successful outcome of either design of an app or selection between apps there needs to be knowledge of requirements.
The basic questions are, what data should be collected, how should it be stored, how should it be retrieved, analysed and displayed and what value will all that add. Talking about specific programs without having a clear idea of those parameters is an exercise in futility and can easily turn into an expensive exercise in futility. A bombproof tablet is an expensive thing and to capture data on paper then transfer it to some app takes time, is boring and tends to get neglected so data is incomplete and therefore of doubtful utility.
Having written that I need to go and do a search because there is probably a thread on here somewhere dealing with data requirements for apiary management.
The basic questions are, what data should be collected, how should it be stored, how should it be retrieved, analysed and displayed and what value will all that add. Talking about specific programs without having a clear idea of those parameters is an exercise in futility and can easily turn into an expensive exercise in futility. A bombproof tablet is an expensive thing and to capture data on paper then transfer it to some app takes time, is boring and tends to get neglected so data is incomplete and therefore of doubtful utility.
Having written that I need to go and do a search because there is probably a thread on here somewhere dealing with data requirements for apiary management.
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