Keeping good hive records is one of the simplest ways to become a better beekeeper.
When you manage several colonies, it is easy to forget what you saw during the previous inspection. Was the queen laying well? How many frames of brood were present? Did you see queen cells? When was the colony treated for Varroa?
I use hive records to follow the evolution of my colonies and, more importantly, to make better decisions during the season.
What should you record during a hive inspection?
You don’t need a complicated system. After an inspection, I recommend recording a few essential observations:
- Colony strength and number of frames covered with bees
- Number of brood frames
- Queen presence or signs that she is laying
- Brood pattern and queen performance
- Queen cells or signs of swarming
- Honey and pollen reserves
- Varroa monitoring and treatments
- Feeding
- Any unusual behavior or health problem
Hive records help you see trends
A single hive inspection gives you a snapshot. Records give you the history of the colony.
For example, knowing that a colony had six brood frames three weeks ago and only three today tells you much more than simply seeing three brood frames during today’s inspection.
The same applies to queen performance, food reserves and Varroa levels. Comparing inspections over time makes it easier to identify problems before they become serious.
Records are especially useful when managing multiple hives
The more colonies you manage, the more important record keeping becomes. It is impossible to reliably remember the history of every hive.
Good records also help you compare colonies. You can identify your strongest colonies, queens that consistently perform well, colonies that require more feeding, and colonies that repeatedly have health problems.
Keep it simple
The best record-keeping system is the one you will actually use.
A notebook, spreadsheet or beekeeping app can all work. What matters is recording the same essential information after each inspection so that you can compare the colony’s development throughout the season.
After more than 40 years of beekeeping, I still consider observation and record keeping fundamental tools. The bees tell us a lot during every inspection—but those observations become much more valuable when we can compare them with what happened weeks or months earlier.