How to Add and Manage Hives in ApiManager

Hives are the core units of your beekeeping operation. In ApiManager, each hive belongs to an apiary and stores detailed information about colony status, hive type, queen, strength, temperament, and more. Adding hives correctly ensures accurate inspections, treatments, harvests, and reports.

Open the Hive screen

1. Open Hives from the ApiManager menu.
2. Tap/click Create to add a new hive.

Step 1: Set hive activity and status

• Active — turn ON for working hives, OFF for inactive or removed hives.
• Hive Status — select the current condition (for example: Active, Deadout, Combined, Lost).

Tip: Marking inactive hives keeps history while removing clutter from daily work.

Step 2: Fill General hive information

• Hive ID — enter a unique identifier (A1, A2, Home-01, Yard3-05, etc.).
• Apiary — choose the location where this hive belongs.
• Color — optional visual color for fast recognition.
• Hive Type — Langstroth, Dadant, Top-bar, etc.
• Source — nucleus, swarm, split, package, etc.
• Purpose — production, breeding, mating, observation, etc.
• Created — creation date of the hive.
• Hive Note — any useful description or reminder.

Step 3: Colony information

Colony info is automatically updated from the latest inspection, but you can view:

• Strength (0–100%)
• Temperament (Calm / Nervous / Aggressive)
• Supers count
• Frames count

Step 4: Queen presence

• Has Queen — toggle ON if the hive has a queen.
• Queen Status — Accepted, Installed, Without queen, etc.

If Has Queen is ON, additional queen fields become available.

Step 5: Queen details

• Queen ID
• Hatched Year
• Installed Date
• Queen State
• Race
• Clipped / Marked
• Mark Color (white, yellow, red, green, blue)
• Queen Note

Step 6: Queen origin

Track where the queen came from:

• Bought (select seller)
• Manufactured (select origin apiary → hive → queen)
• Captured swarm
• Other

Save the hive

1. Review all fields.
2. Tap/click Save.
3. The hive is now ready for inspections, treatments, and harvest records.

Managing existing hives

• Edit hive to update status, queen, or notes.
• Deactivate instead of deleting to keep history.
• Move hive to another apiary if relocated.
• Use consistent naming for easier filtering.

Best practices

• Use short, consistent hive IDs.
• Always assign correct apiary.
• Keep queen data updated.
• Deactivate dead or merged hives instead of deleting.

Well-structured hives lead to accurate analytics, better decisions, and healthier colonies.

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