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Daily Use

The BroodMinder development team is made up of passionate beekeepers who have been using BroodMinder sensors in our own hives since 2015. Our apiaries vary in size, from just a few hives to over 75, all fully instrumented to enhance our beekeeping practices and make hive management more efficient. In this section, we will share how we utilize our devices and software, with the hope of providing valuable insights for your own colony management.

Tip

We assume here that you already have a system set up. For detailed information on devices or setup, please contact us at support@broodminder.com for assistance in choosing the right configuration for your needs.

Typical Procedure for a Normal Checkup

In this guide, we will outline our usual procedure for a standard hive checkup, moving from general observations to more detailed inspections as needed.

Step 1: Check the Apiary

  1. Check the Apiaries tab in Bees app.
  2. Review the nectar flow index to see recent trends and upcoming conditions. This chart helps you decide whether to inspect, feed, or prepare for a nectar flow.
  3. Review any apiary notes from your last visit and be aware of any alerts.

Apiaries tab

Step 2: Check Your Hives

  1. Move to the Hives tab, where all your hives are listed at the top. Each box represents a hive and displays key information:
  2. Estimated Brood Level: Assesses colony strength.
  3. Weight Variation Since Sunrise: Indicates daily activity.
  4. Hive Fitness: A green/orange/red heart indicates the hive’s health status. Notifications in the top right corner alert you to any abnormalities.
  5. Review all hives and look for major disparities. Low brood levels can be normal in winter, but a single hive with low levels compared to others may need attention.

Hives square

Note on Brood Levels

Brood is estimated using internal temperature measurements and other parameters (T2 or TH sensor required). Brood levels are given in percentages. Familiarize yourself with these values in your hives. As a starting point, in a 10-frame hive, 90% brood could mean 9 frames, 80% 8 frames, etc. However, this varies with hive configuration, so learn what these percentages mean for your bees.

Step 3: Drill Down in the Hives That Need Attention

  1. After getting an overall picture of the apiary and hives, focus on the hives that need detailed inspection.
  2. Review available data to build a complete picture of each colony: weight, productivity, temperature, humidity, brood, your notes, and system alerts. Navigate through these tabs to diagnose each hive.

Hives tab

Step 4: Update your Notes and Plan for the Next Inspection

  1. Once the inspection is complete, update the notes for each hive. We've simplified this process and included tags to assist in future workflows, such as queen replacement. Use voice-to-text on iOS and Android to speed up this task.
  2. Leave an apiary note with any items to check or cover during your next inspection.

Final Note

For a more detailed analysis, such as overlaying multiple hives or considering periods longer than 14 days, or comparing with weather conditions we recommend to use mybroodminder.com on a larger screen.