In this post, we shall explore the best and most popular apps for beekeeping and what they have to offer.
We, beekeepers, love to work with our hands, don’t we? It’s a very manual job. The downside is all the heavy lifting, which, when done incorrectly, can do a lot of damage. Even then, we stick with it.
One of the reasons why we still do it is because some of the work has gotten easier. If we think back to when the Langstroth hive was invented, that definitely made inspections easier.
Now, we have the Flow Hive, which is a revolutionary way to harvest honey.
There are gadgets that even allow you to monitor your hive in the winter without opening it up by using infrared technology.
Now, technology has once again come through to arm us with vast information about our precious bees and help with record keeping.
Best Beekeeping Apps Every Beekeeper Should Have
Hivekeepers for Beekeepers
This is a very popular app for hobbyists and commercial beekeepers alike.
It allows you to record information about your apiaries, hives, and even frames separately. This is one of the great beekeeping apps for analyzing the strength of local traits vs. purchased colonies.
Say, for instance, you captured a swarm, and you have put up the beehive in a field on property that’s ideal for foraging. Closer to home, you have colonies that you purchased from a breeder in another state.
You can use this app to capture vital information on the productivity of the queen, her brooding pattern, resistance to pests and diseases, and even honey production.
The great part about this app is the ability to update your records using photographs.
Very early on, I didn’t know how long it took for the bees to cure the honey.
With this, you can learn by taking pictures as they continue to fill, cure, and cap the honey.
That way, you will be able to discern a pattern for the coming years and accurately determine when to harvest based on your records.
Records analysis has to be the biggest advantage of this app. Over the years, you can look at the performance of your colonies.
It even provides notifications if you neglect a hive for too long. This is a great beekeeping app to add to your beekeeper’s kit.
Beekeeper Lite
This app is a great inspection assistant. It allows you to record the details of each colony.
Without having to type out any words, you can quickly record the temperament of the girls, the presence of the brood, and the presence of the queen, either evidenced by eggs or by seeing her.
You just need to tap your screen, and you have a very comprehensive record of your hive inspections.
The records tab will act as a checklist, reminding you to check for all the vital signs of your colony’s health and well-being.
For instance, is your queen marked? This would be especially useful after the swarming season. Sometimes, you can do everything right, and the colony still swarms.
If you’ve noticed a difference in the behavior of the colony, it may be time to check for the queen. A quick glance at the checklist will remind you to look for your queen and check if your marked queen is still in control.
As a beginner, it’s usually advisable to begin with at least two colonies.
Since the app allows you to record the strain of bees that you have, you can compare and contrast their performance. Among other beekeeping apps, this one is a quick tool to use on the go.
The developers of the app respond to queries and complaints should you have any.
HiveTracks Mobile App
If your apiary is someplace outside in the wilderness, then this app is definitely for you.
The recording is done offline, so you don’t need to worry about cell service and WiFi signals. It keeps a record of your hives based on the GPS coordinates that don’t need cell service to work.
Once you’re at the apiary, you can utilize your hands since it’s the best beekeeping app that utilizes audio to record detailed information about all your inspections.
That makes capturing all the vital information so much easier, and you have fewer items to juggle during your inspection visits.
If you see something particularly significant, you can just take a picture and then continue with your audio recording.
Once you’re back within range, the app will upload the data collected and add photos and audio to cloud storage associated with the set-up account.
It’s quite simple to use.
Bee Health App
There’s no doubt that bees are under attack by… us.
Well, perhaps, to be more precise, we have created an environment that is wiping them out at an alarming rate. By moving colonies across the world, we have exposed them to pests and diseases they are not equipped to deal with.
Part of the problem is a lack of information.
In order to help the bees, we need a better understanding of the challenges they face and the treatment options for them. This free app is just what beekeepers need.
It’s great for beginners who are just starting out. The first year of beekeeping is really difficult.
There’s so much information to keep in mind. A century ago, beekeeping was simple. All you have to do is place the hives at a convenient place and let the bees do all the work.
Now, you need to worry about mites, monitoring their numbers, and rotating treatments. You need to worry about diseases that affect the brood and how to prevent them. You need to learn to diagnose diseases affecting adult bees.
All this is greatly aided by this app, which is a handy reference tool.
Combining traditional approaches, the app has pictures of the various pests and diseases you may encounter, with updated scientific information on treatment options.
Information is a must-have in your beekeeping kit. This definitely is one of the best beekeeping apps that remain free.
Apiary Book
One look at the Apiary Book application, and you can tell there is definitely a beekeeper behind this app.
There are lots of people who are content to keep their records the old-fashioned way. Pen and paper never really go out of style, but they have challenges.
One of them is that analyzing trends, especially over a period of years, can be taxing. I reserve that energy for doing my taxes.
This comprehensive app allows you to record every single aspect of beekeeping.
From queen genetics and age to colony movements, the app has been developed to capture all the vital information you need to maintain bee colonies and keep them healthy.
There is even an assistant on the app to help the beginner with basic information. The capacity of the app is such that it will accommodate your growth. You can add apiaries and hives as your hobby or business grows.
Another valuable feature is the app set reminders.
Sometimes, you have a hive that is set up separately from the others. Out of sight, out of mind. When you’re just beginning, you would think this is an unlikely scenario, but as you expand, sometimes a few things slip your mind.
This will help to remind you to look in on that lone ranger colony to keep them healthy. Available in 14 languages, this is a great beekeeping app to have.
Beekeeping Demystified
This is your ultimate pocket-sized all-things-bee thesaurus. Everything you need to know about bees is packaged on this mobile app.
Beekeeping can be addictive. Even after losing dozens of colonies, so many beekeepers stick with it because once you fall in love with these beautiful creatures, it’s forever.
Even so, the journey is rocky.
The only way to prepare is to gather information before and during. Sure, there’s a lot you will learn on the job, and the learning never stops. But you do need a place to start.
What better foundation than one that aims to simplify this beautiful practice with an all-you-can-read knowledge buffet?
There’s more…
Maybe you don’t like your regular textbook format and want to see what’s current… What debates are currently going on? What are the new findings on varroa? What cool gadget can you try to make your beekeeping experience a little easier?
The app has you covered. They provide modern-day techniques, such as videos and podcasts about all current beekeeping topics. There’s even an audiobook included that you can listen to offline.
Your hardcopy books make for great coffee table reads, but since we are often on the go, this app is just the tool you need to keep yourself updated.
BeePlus Beekeeping Manager
This is a fantastic app available on the Apple app store.
Remember everything you used to put down in your notebook? It’s all here, and they’ve even added some information that you may have forgotten to include.
For instance, how often do you note the weather on the inspection day? This may seem whimsical, and you may set this aside for the poetic beekeeper, but it has scientific weight.
If the bees appear more aggressive than usual, there is the temptation to quickly blame genetics and seek to requeen the hive.
But why not go back to your records and look at your previous inspections? What was the weather like that day? You might notice that their testiness was caused by excessive humidity.
Once you’ve given them a week or two and you get a break in the weather, you may inspect them and find they are the calm girls you have grown to love.
It’s also a great tool for tracking your bee equipment, for instance, supers. You can quickly scan your records and establish how many supers you need to add for nectar flow.
You have a unique QR code for the hives, and the app has the capacity to allow pictorial records of your hive visits. If you are an Apple product user, this is a great app to have for your beekeeping activities.
Hivetool Mobile
Here’s another winning beekeeping app for you.
The dashboard includes tabs that allow you to record the strength of your bee colonies by adult and brood population, the status of your queen (virgin or mated), and even the ratio of syrup used.
This completely free app has the capacity to accommodate both the hobbyist and the commercial beekeeper.
Those with dozens of hives have the option of an express inspection, where data on colonies that show similar characteristics can be entered at once rather than making individual entries.
Data entry works offline and can all be done in the field because the app does not require an internet connection or cell signal. Once you’re back from the wilderness, you can use the sync function to upload all your new information to the cloud.
Many beekeepers find the app’s capability to export records, allowing you to convert your analyzed data into spreadsheets and share data with other beekeepers in your beekeeping community. This is particularly helpful as an educational tool.
You could be a beginner today but a trainer tomorrow, and using your own apiary as a case study is a great way for your students to get a practical view of beekeeping.
Their slogan says it all. Focus on what matters, which is your beekeeping. The app makes record-keeping effortless.
Bee Appy – Hive Management
I’ll go straight to my favorite feature of this app. That’s the feedback channel they use.
How many times have you used an app and thought, does whoever built this know anything about what the real-world scenario is?
Well, the Bee Appy people have thought this part through, and using Trello ensures that you can provide valuable information on the features you the most value on the app as they continue to improve it.
In addition to that, it provides you with all the things that a helpful inspection tool does.
An easy-to-follow checklist is the cornerstone of any beekeeper, and the app simplifies this so that data entry comes down to just a few seconds.
This is one of the best beekeeping apps for both the beginner and the experienced beekeeper.
Final Thoughts
These beekeeping apps should make your work easier.
If you work gloveless, then it’s easy to go with an app that allows you to tap into your findings.
If you would prefer to keep your hands gloved, then a voice-activated option would be the best app for you.
Let’s not forget that even though an app does not allow you to record information, it can still be valuable because it provides you with information.
The beauty of these beekeeping apps is that you do not need to limit yourself to just one. As long as you find it useful, why not try it?
Hi,
I am adding one more. It is Bee Queen Detector for android.
It is a real time bee queen detection using your camera. It seems cool.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.bqd.queen_detector