Numbered discs for beehives.....

[user 20297]

Your logic is obviously dead (where is it - right).

Make your own? 3D print as many as you want, when you want. Buy an engraver and some tiddlywinks?

Give it some thought, if you are able to…

I have given it a bit of thought and decided that you do have a sense of humour after all and mean the above as "joke".

If that isn't the case, thank-you for the suggestion, but I'm not that stupid.

 

[user 20297]

How many full hives do you have? I just remember their positions and don’t bother with numbering on the outside of the hive. Just give them a name and number in my notes.
I do number Nucs on the outside though as I can have a few going at certain times and I’ll be moving them around between apiaries so need to keep track

I have/had six colonies at the start of the winter. At the moment I easily keep track of what's what and where it is. But looking forward positively and having equipped myself with more nationals and a few queen-rearing nucs, I want to have a positive track on the lineage of my bees.

 

[user 20297]

I really enjoy naming my hives...numbers just wouldn’t feel the same

I do also name my bees as a colony, rather than the queen herself. That is usually a double-barrelled, alliterative nickname based on something particular about them or their behaviour. Eg. Buckie B**t*rds!

 

[Wilco]

It always struck me that the following made sense:

Each queen has a number.
Daughters are their mother's number followed by '.' and then their own number

E.g. If I have two queens, one and two. Number one has two daughters, number two has three. Each goes on to have two daughters. This would give me:

Original queens
1
2

Daughters
1.1
1.2
2.1
2.2
2.3

Granddaughters
1.1.1
1.1.2
1.2.1
1.2.1
2.1.1
2.1.2
2.2.1
2.2.2
2.3.1
2.3.2

Etc.

Each queen would be colour marked so you know the year they are from. All daughters can be traced back. This works with letters too.

This could be written on anything that goes with or in the hive as long as the mark follows the queen. Even using a queen marker and 2p coins can work (or get one of those cheap rotary tools from Lidl/Aldi and engrave them yourself).

This would work with the above example using the ear tags mentioned if you have enough, splitting as follows:

Original
1
2
Daughters
11
12
21
22
23
Granddaughters
111
112
121
122
211
212
221
222
231
232

2p coins may work out cheaper than ear tags... Apologies for the long post.

 

[Swarm]

Blod >> Blossom (s) >> Cherub (s) >> Sweetheart >> Darling
Cherub (s) >> Angel (sister to Darling)
Black Betty will start a new line this year if she is still around
Queens of note all get a pet name but the records are numerical.

I do also name my bees as a colony, rather than the queen herself. That is usually a double-barrelled, alliterative nickname based on something particular about them or their behaviour. Eg. Buckie B**t*rds!

 

[user 20297]

Blod >> Blossom (s) >> Cherub (s) >> Sweetheart >> Darling
Cherub (s) >> Angel (sister to Darling)
Black Betty will start a new line this year if she is still around
Queens of note all get a pet name but the records are numerical.

.......much sweeter names than mine. Mind you, my own are fictitious and just stolen from a list of names for drag-queens.

 

[JamezF]

Mind you, my own are fictitious and just stolen from a list of names for drag-queens.

And there was me thinking that Farrah Moan was your ****star name.

James

 

[Curly green finger's]

And there was me thinking that Farrah Moan was your ****star name.

James

Who needs to watch " live at the apollo" for a laugh hey!

 

[North End Bees]

Daughters are their mother's number followed by '.' and then their own number
[...]

Granddaughters
1.1.1
1.1.2
1.2.1
1.2.1
2.1.1
2.1.2
2.2.1
2.2.2
2.3.1
2.3.2

I think this system could very easily lead to numbering errors and queens being mixed up.
In the above example you've duplicated 1.2.1

I just think that would easily happen in your actual records.

 

[masterBK]

I use the lids off food containers beef gravy red, chicken gravy orange, drinking chocolate purple etc and paint the numbers on.

 

[pargyle]

I use the lids off food containers beef gravy red, chicken gravy orange, drinking chocolate purple etc and paint the numbers on.

That meets my sustainability and recycling/repurposing principles but 'er indoors is going be mighty off piste that I am going to have to collect the lids off her drinking chocolate and cocoa tins ...

 

[Wilco]

I think this system could very easily lead to numbering errors and queens being mixed up.
In the above example you've duplicated 1.2.1

I just think that would easily happen in your actual records.

Certainly possible although that example is due to me typing on my phone whilst trying to co-ordinate dinner/bath time for my girls so I was a little distracted!

 

[drdrday]

I number hive stands (with stick on house numbers), and also name queens (alphabetically floral names - I appreciate it'll get tricky if/when I ever get to X or Z ).
I use chalk pens to write the name of the queen on the side of her brood box. That way the name generally stays with the queen through manipulations, and if she does move brood box for some reason I can just wipe off the name and write it again.
When it comes to tracking a queen's lineage, I keep a 'family tree' document. With only a few hives this is just to help my memory, as it's not like I have hundreds of queens to keep track of.

 

[North End Bees]

alphabetically floral names - I appreciate it'll get tricky if/when I ever get to X or Z

Z = zoflora

 

[Moobee]

Z = zoflora

Zinnia

 

[Curly green finger's]

Bee book app
As I said earlier in the thread about apps I've set up the above, I can transfer any data from my field diary's to the app at a later date, hopefully a combination of my paper and app records will keep me in good sted.

 

[Wilco]

Bee book app
As I said earlier in the thread about apps I've set up the above, I can transfer any data from my field diary's to the app at a later date, hopefully a combination of my paper and app records will keep me in good sted.

Just looked into this. Might give it a try.

 

[Curly green finger's]

Just looked into this. Might give it a try.

Its easy enough to use my beefarming friend uses it who pointed me in the hopefully right direction
Im finding the email notifications brilliant

 

[tudor bees]

I have been using the MZA tags for 4-5 years now. I give the hives the tags, screwed to the front about 1/2 way down. On the outside. I mark the tag with a dot the same as the queen inside. I will sometimes move the queen and take her tag, if she’s getting towards the end of her life and ticks some boxes, she goes to the mating apiary.

 

[user 20297]

I hope I can limit myself this way.......