Perhaps the most important activity that a beekeeper should undertake is keeping a good written record of each colony throughout the year. This will include both summarising interventions undertaken and noting the results of all routine hive inspections. With respect to dealing with hives in the club apiary, where different members will be involved week by week, the record card provides essential historic continuity. Although storing the card in a plastic wallet inside the hive roof is common practice, I prefer to keep a folder of the record cards in my kitchen so I can read through them and plan my course of action before opening any hive.
You can obtain record card files to print from several sources, but here is the format I would recommend. It separates counts for eggs/larvae/pupae which can be essential information when making decisions in some situations. The number of Active Slots offers a quick overview of the way colonies develop through the year. You might think that the Record Card offers a sequence of questions which the beekeeper needs to answer at the end of every hive inspection.
Don't be afraid to modify the Record Card to better suit your own particular requirements.
You can obtain record card files to print from several sources, but here is the format I would recommend. It separates counts for eggs/larvae/pupae which can be essential information when making decisions in some situations. The number of Active Slots offers a quick overview of the way colonies develop through the year. You might think that the Record Card offers a sequence of questions which the beekeeper needs to answer at the end of every hive inspection.
Don't be afraid to modify the Record Card to better suit your own particular requirements.
| hive-record-card.doc |