Tools, forums and online communities

For thousands of years, humans have held bees so they could get to their honey. Cave drawings from almost ten thousand years ago show people collecting honey from hives. The Greek philosopher Aristotle was one of the first to study and analyze the behavior of bees. Throughout the millenniums and centuries the practice of beekeeping has evolved greatly as both the knowledge about these complex animals as well as the technologies involved have been refined more and more.

Today there are numerous stores, tutorial platforms, online shops, communities, clubs, and other sources for beekeepers to acquire information and tools. Various apps have been developed to support beekeepers in maintaining and managing their hives. Here is a look at some of them:

HiveTracks is an app designed to track and record regular inspections of beehives. It features personalized recommendations depending on the size and location of the hive as well as on the experience level of the beekeeper. A localized pollination overview comes in handy when looking for the perfect spot to start a new colony. The app runs on both Android and iOS and can be downloaded for free.

The BeePlus Beekeeping Manager is created by beekeepers for beekeepers. From organizing hives or apiaries to tracking inspections or honey harvesting, to information on queens or how a piece of equipment is being used, BeePlus is designed to help beekeepers look after their bees. This app helps manage the hive inspection record and offers intuitive spreadsheets to keep overviews on inspection history.

A useful app created especially for beekeeping beginners is called BeeKeeping Demystified. It contains plenty of useful tips and tricks on how to get started as a beekeeper. From finding the perfect spot to set up a hive to choosing the right composition and materials to keeping the bees as healthy and happy as possible. Apart from offering tutorial videos and audiobooks, this app offers tons of helpful insights.

Another great way to connect not only with fellow beekeepers but also with high-tech experts is through our Beehyve project. It is a global communal project where bee-enthusiasts collaborate with developers and techies to develop ideas and solutions on how to improve the life of bee colonies. Perhaps this swarm intelligence effort will lead to inventing and creating exciting new apps that support the beekeeper even better and thus help save the bees.