Regular inspections are the foundation of good beekeeping. HiveBook™'s inspection logging lets you record everything you observe during a hive visit — from brood patterns and queen sightings to pest levels and temperament — and tracks trends across your whole apiary over time.
Logging an Inspection
To log an inspection, go to More → Inspections and tap the + button, or open a specific hive and add an inspection from its detail page. You can log inspections for any hive while offline — records are saved locally and sync via iCloud when you are back in range.
Each inspection record captures:
- Date and hive — when the inspection took place and which hive was inspected
- Queen sighted — whether you confirmed the queen's presence
- Brood pattern — the quality and pattern of the brood comb
- Colony strength — your assessment of overall colony size and vigor
- Honey stores — how much capped and uncapped honey is present
- Temperament — how calm or defensive the colony was during the inspection
- Pest observations — any signs of varroa, small hive beetles, wax moths, or other pests
- Disease signs — any observations suggesting disease
- Supers — whether supers were added or removed
- Notes — freeform notes for anything else you want to record
You do not need internet access to log inspections. HiveBook works fully offline, so you can record observations right at the hive stand, even in remote locations.
Inspection Checklists
The Inspections section within the Hive Management Hub provides a structured view for all your inspections across every hive. This is useful for reviewing what you have checked recently and identifying hives that are overdue for a visit.
Inspection records are also accessible from each individual hive's detail page, where they appear in chronological order so you can trace the colony's history at a glance.
Colony Health Tracking
Each inspection contributes to the ongoing health picture for that colony. Over time, you build a complete record of how the colony has progressed through the seasons — whether it is building strength in spring, recovering from a queen issue, or declining toward winter.
The Apiary Calendar (More → Apiary Calendar) shows all inspection events alongside treatments, harvests, and tasks so you can see your full management timeline in one view.
Inspection Analytics Pro
With a Pro or Premium subscription, you unlock Inspection Analytics under More → Analytics & Forecasts → Inspection Analytics. This gives you charts and trend data across all your inspections:
- Inspection frequency per hive and across the apiary
- Brood pattern trends over time
- Colony strength trends by season
- Queen sighting rates across your hives
- Pest and disease observation trends
These analytics help you identify which hives need more attention and spot patterns that are easy to miss when looking at individual records.
Colony Survival Tracking Pro
Colony Survival (More → Analytics & Forecasts → Colony Survival) is a Pro feature that tracks your winter and annual colony survival rates. It provides context on how your apiary compares across seasons and helps you identify management practices that improve overwintering outcomes.
Never miss an inspection detail
HiveBook is available on the App Store for iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
Download on the App Store