Missing/wanted functionalities in a beekeeping app

[Drakthan]

I too use Beetight and would recommend it. Nevertheless it has its shortcomings, of which the inability to handle data off line is, I would agree, the greatest. If there is change of wind direction, or the neighbour's cat sneezes, or whatever, I lose mobile coverage. Apart from the possibility getting propolis on the 'phone, entering data with a gloved finger is an issue, simply solved by keeping a cheapo touchscreen stylus pen in my beesuit.

So I would suggest looking at the functionality and interface of Beetight, and thinking about how they could be improved

Thanks for the suggestion, I will look at the app

 

[benjamind]

It does perfectly, pen and paper is so simple /easy. No need to spend hundreds on gadget.

Hundreds? Wow, you’re being robbed. I bought a brand new tablet for £40 from Currys especially for my beekeeping records - you can’t even get half a pack of fifty frames for that. Besides, this is the beekeeping software forum not beekeeping pen and paper.

 

[user 819]

Only skin flints like you and I buy cheap electronic gadgets, when I see most people inc beeks at the apiary they all have very expensive rip off price phones/ pads etc.

 

[benjamind]

Only skin flints like you and I buy cheap electronic gadgets, when I see most people inc beeks at the apiary they all have very expensive rip off price phones/ pads etc.

Ah... the copper-roofed WBC brigade?

 

[pargyle]

The issue I have with digital recording at the apiary (I tried and failed !) is that my fingers/gloves are inevitably covered in propolis and sometimes honey so it makes it really difficult not to get stuff all over the phone or tablet. The bees also seem to be perpetually interested in my phone if I get it out in their vicinity and get in the way. My screen does not work well with gloved fingers and having to fish out a stylus to record anything was a pain.

I returned to pencil and notebook - yes it gets a bit mucky but it's only usually reminders that need to go in there. and relevant comments about weather/activity etc.

The best system I've seen (and have not tried) was a beekeeper who has a laminated chart A4 size that records the basics - he uses a chinagraph pencil and the laminated chart stays in the hive abover the crownboard for instant use whenever he opens up. It only lasts a season then he makes up new ones and archives the old ones in a ring binder.

I often think about replicating the system but:

a) I still haven't decided what issues I find critical to record.
b) My present notebook system works.

I did try to start and transfer my notes to a file on my laptop - then decided life is too short !

I don't think that, unless you have an assistant with clean hands and nothing to do but stand and take digital notes whilst you dictate, beekeeping generally is ready for digital note taking at the hive. I'm no luddite but somet hings are great for digital recording and ... some things less so.

 

[user 819]

I have a laminated card on each colony use an obvious marker to write on it and a small note pad /pencil to transfer the details at home to my records.
Each season the card is wiped clean and so starts again.
Paper records at home as I can never remember colony status and what needs doing or taking.

 

[user 819]

I returned to pencil and notebook - yes it gets a bit mucky but it's only usually reminders that need to go in there. and relevant comments about weather/activity etc.

I did try to start and transfer my notes to a file on my laptop - then decided life is too short !

.

 

[IndiBee]

First of all, thanks a lot for your input, it helps a lot!

Which DSLR app are you using? I would love to take a peek at how it works. How would it translate to beekeeping? There would be multiple apiaries and each would have some gear associated with it? Or would adding custom locations for the gear suit you more?

When it comes to color blindness, are there any color combinations that suit all of the variants of color blindness? I wanted to this color scheme, is it accessible enough? (The red line is the hive color, not a part of the color scheme)

View attachment 26267

Equipment example:
Roofs - 22 in use - 11 - Locations: 10 site 1, 10 site 2, 2 in shed
Floors - 20 in use 11 ditto
Supers - 49 in use 29 ditto
Nuc boxes - 10 - in use ditto
Nuc roofs - 9 ditto
etc

Camera app is called "MyGearVault"

Colours
Colours in screen shot are almost invisible to me. Your best bet is to support a dark mode (black background and white text)

 

[benjamind]

Definitely offline access.
Ability to enter fractions of frames rather than whole integers for brood and food.
Ability to trace queen lineage so see which colony she descended from.
Prediction on current state of queen hatching - so if you know when a larvae or capped queen cell was left, you can work out ranges for when emerged, matured, end of mating window etc.
Export data so easy to run own analytics.
From a UI perspective, nice big buttons so easy to use with gloves (see the BeeBook app for a good example).

 

[Foxylad]

Started using BeePlus thus season. Really like it, has everything I need. Slightly harder to use than my pen paper method. However being able to record my spending and more in-depth hive records means it’s a win from me.

https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/beeplus-beekeeping-manager/id1018655661

 

[benjamind]

I feel like a total hypocrite and gone back to pen and paper. Never any problems with signal, no rummaging about trying to find previous records…

 

[Buzzlodge]

breed of the queen, number of the queen, color of the queen [would having year of the queen instead and taking color from that make more sense?],

No, don't link colour to year. I mark all my queens in yellow as its easiest for me to see, as another colourblind male A little module to record the ancestry or source of the queen might be useful.