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📦 Hive Management

🎯 Purpose​

Create and manage individual hive records within your apiaries, tracking each colony's unique characteristics, equipment setup, and management history.

🎭 User Story​

  • As a beekeeper managing multiple colonies
  • I want to create and organize individual hive records
  • So that I can track each colony separately with its own photos, notes, and equipment

🚀 Key Benefits​

  • Digital Hive Records: Create individual profiles for each colony with name, color, and notes
  • Visual Organization: Color-code your hives to match physical paint colors for easy identification
  • Equipment Tracking: Track boxes, frames, and sections within each hive structure
  • Colony History: View complete timeline of inspections, photos, and activities per hive
  • Status Monitoring: Mark hives as active, queenless, preparing to swarm, or collapsed
  • Device Integration: Connect entrance observers, scales, and sensors to specific hives

💡 Use Cases​

New Hive Setup Got a new package or nuc? Create a hive record with its starting configuration (1 box, 10 frames), add photos of the first inspection, and track growth over time.

Color-Coded Identification Paint your hives different colors? Set matching colors in the app so you can quickly identify which digital record corresponds to which physical hive in your yard.

Multi-Hive Comparison Compare performance across hives in the same apiary. Which colony is bringing in the most pollen? Which needs feeding? Visual hive cards make comparison easy.

Equipment Inventory Track how many boxes and frames each hive has. When adding supers or removing honey, update the hive structure to maintain accurate records.

🎓 How to Use​

  1. Create a hive - Click "Add Hive" within your chosen apiary
  2. Name your colony - Give it a memorable name (or use auto-generated names)
  3. Choose colors - Select colors matching your physical hive paint
  4. Set structure - Define initial boxes and frame count
  5. Add notes - Record colony origin, queen type, or special characteristics
  6. Track over time - Add inspection records, photos, and observations

🎨 Hive Identification Tips​

  • Use distinctive names: "Yellow Powerhouse", "South Corner", "Gentle Giants"
  • Match digital colors to physical hive paint for easy field reference
  • Add notes about hive location within apiary: "closest to gate", "under oak tree"
  • Photo the hive exterior during setup for quick visual identification

📊 Hive Status Options​

  • Active - Normal, healthy colony
  • Queenless - No queen detected, may need intervention
  • Preparing to Swarm - Queen cells present, consider split
  • Weak - Low bee population, may need support
  • Collapsed - Colony died or absconded (historical record)

🔗 Integration Features​

  • Connect entrance observers to track bee traffic
  • Link temperature/humidity sensors for environmental monitoring
  • Associate scales for weight-based honey flow tracking
  • View all sensor data in context of individual hive

Last Updated: December 5, 2025