Record Keeping in the Apiary

Reader Contribution by Julia Miller
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Good records are critical to managing colonies of honeybees. Imagine trying to recall the date and detail of a hive inspection completed in June 2011. Which one of the hives had the varroa mites? Did one have evidence of a weak queen? Were the brood boxes rotated? Did this hive or that one produce the most honey this year? The more colonies you have, the higher the risk of confusing details. Unless an eidetic memory is a personal gift, written records of honeybee colonies is essential.

Hive inspections at a minimum should address the health of the bees, the behavior of the colony and any treatments or interventions by the beekeeper.

Until now, I have been using a simple journal style I call “The Bee Log”. This is a rudimentary way of documenting an inspection, but does track some information. For example here is the log entry from July 11, 2013:

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