# Numbering bee hives



## Broke-T (Jul 9, 2008)

I am up to about 60 hives and tried writing number on top of hive with marker. Problem is if I lose hive or combine then have top with old number. If I reuse number and go back checking notes from previous checks I could confuse old and new hive.

How do ya'll ID hives so you don't get confused.

Johnny


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## AR Beekeeper (Sep 25, 2008)

I number all my deep brood boxes and nuc boxes. I don't worry about tops, bottomboards or honey supers.


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## pom51 (Jul 28, 2008)

I also number all of my equipment,if it a 5 frame nuc it start with 5-1 ,6 frame nuc 6-1 ect supers are numbered the same way with the exception shallow are number s 10-1 ds 10-1 that way you know which hive produces the most honey and you might want a queen from them


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## Countryboy (Feb 15, 2009)

I give each yard a separate ABC prefix, then number the hives in each yard. For example, A1 or B2 or C3. As hives get combined or if I move hives, my yards don't always have consecutive numbers.

This works for me now, having hives at 3 locations.


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## theriverhawk (Jun 5, 2009)

I place a small 3"X3" piece of painted wood with the number of the hive on top of each hive under a brick. I always know what number hive I'm working on while I'm in the hive. It also makes the number very mobile. Example: If I loose that hive, I can just move that piece of wood to a new #22 that I start, etc...while I figure out what I am going to do with the old #22 equipment. 
I've tried other systems. This just works best for me.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I don't. I've thought about it. What I do is keep Ready Date calendars on them and I can tell the state of the hive by the pins. You can also get the Hive Minders for the same purpose.


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## jeff123fish (Jul 3, 2007)

For me it's the number on the cover. If I combine hives or a hive dies out the cover that stays is the number for the hive. As far as my record keeping it's just one sheet per hive cover if the hive dies or gets combined I note that on the page draw a line and when I put more bees in the hive start again


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## heaflaw (Feb 26, 2007)

Michael Bush said:


> I don't. I've thought about it. What I do is keep Ready Date calendars on them and I can tell the state of the hive by the pins. You can also get the Hive Minders for the same purpose.


Where do I get Hive Minders?


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## bigbearomaha (Sep 3, 2009)

I helped a fella who used colors and combinations of colors as ID's. 

I intend to use an alpha-numeric system when I get my beeyard in full swing next spring.

Letter and number corresponding to location and each hive at location.

Big Bear


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## brooksbeefarm (Apr 13, 2008)

I use cattle ear tags, wood screws and a cordless drill. I have ear tags that have been on the same hives for 10 yrs. or more, you can remove them from a hive body when you need to and reuse them. Jack


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## mythomane (Feb 18, 2009)

Cattle ear tags are a good idea! -- Like CC Miller! I use rubber stamps with consecutive numbers on the side of a brood box. One per hive. Stamp in the middle so it does not get covered by grass/top cover.


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

Hive minder:
http://www.betterbee.com/products.asp?dept=1691

Ready Date:
http://www.betterbee.com/products.asp?dept=136

I made up one that has everything I every want on a 5 1/2" by 8" piece, but I don't have the availability of the right plastic and silk screen printing...


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## beedeetee (Nov 27, 2004)

For me the top is the piece that is numbered and that I use to track the hive. A new queen is a new hive so I don't worry about what hive 6 has done over the past 5 years.

Boxes, bottoms and other pieces are not numbered.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Broke-T said:


> I am up to about 60 hives and tried writing number on top of hive with marker. Problem is if I lose hive or combine then have top with old number. If I reuse number and go back checking notes from previous checks I could confuse old and new hive.
> 
> How do ya'll ID hives so you don't get confused.
> 
> Johnny


Having 400 or more, I don't number them. Cattle ear tags work well.

I'm not going to suggest that if you are numbering and taking data from each hive that you are over managing/micromanaging your hives. Maybe you have scientific reasons for doing so. Are you going to publish your findings?


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## mythomane (Feb 18, 2009)

Publishing isnt an issue so much as I want to know what condition the brood is in and which queens are doing what. It is more a way to track my breeding stock, and also gives me an idea of where I am at during buildup. Most keepers I know do not have time for this or lose track or get too busy, but I find that I have to check them out at least once a month anyway outside of winter and scribbling where they are at or how a queen is doing saves me time later. I can also breed to/from the best as I know what is what. I have 20+ strains in my yard. I do not treat with anything, and my trade-off is keeping on top of what I have and dealing with it when it happens, instead of "uh-oh spaghetti-o" and then drowning the girls in apistan or whatever the heck 95% of keepers use these days. I am starting from scratch again with clean 4.9 wax/new equipment and it seems easy enough now. When I get back over 300+ next year and climbing we will see how I feel about it then...It is a good feeling to lean over and thumb through the ledger on a rainy day and know you have a least a decent idea of where things stand.


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## Bill AR (Sep 28, 2009)

Thanks for the cattle ear tag idea! I already have some of those and that's much better than my idea of "making something".


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## honeyshack (Jan 6, 2008)

i make a map of each yard date it, and keep it in a binder. I use different lettering if something is going on NQ for new queen, QC...queen cell...CB...chalkbrood, DO dead out, OQ old queen, and uses arrows if i move hives within the yard. I give a number to the hive on paper if the hive is moved to a different yard or the child hive is moved to a different yard. Each yard has a name...ie home yard, mosely yard...etc.
SP...split S strong, W weak and so on.
When ever i visit a yard, a put the currrent map on a 4x2 index card then transfer the new info to the binder. As well, when i treat, or count varroa, it is on the page map so i know what, where, and when
Pfizer aslo puts out a calaneder book where you can put in data. We keep one for the cows like dates of treating, or haying started etc, and one for the bees, dates of flowers bloom, pulling honey etc and it stays with the binder.

When the university came to study some hives they taggd them with cattle tags and a shingle nail. They plan to be back 2 more times for studing. They are studing hives across the province for disease and the quantitve values of disease as well as the time of year. They are also doing this study across the country taking samples. Like the idea of cattle tags, and i would still use my maps.


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## alpha6 (May 12, 2008)

Numbering hives went out because of the multiple reasons given by others here. We keep notes on the yard as to hives and anything significant found. I keep a thick marker in my pocket and just write on the top cover anything I find that I want to make a note of. This also reminds me to look for that problem the next time I am in the yard instead of trying to figure out "now what hive had the queen cells?" etc, etc. Works great and doesn't slow down the work in the yard. When we are finished I can grab the notebook and go back and just read any tops that I made a note on. It also lets someone else know know without having to have the note book that something is amiss with a hive as they will read it as they pop the lid. Works if you have multiple crews working the yards. Oh...top covers get painted in the fall so it's a clean slate come spring for more scribbling.


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## StevenG (Mar 27, 2009)

Alpha 6, do you use wooden, or metal covered tops? I like that idea of simply writing on the top.

I number my hives on the bottom board. If they die out, or combine, the number tracks the whole history of that hive in my notebook. I don't have a lot of details in my notebook, just what i consider to be crucial. That way I can see what works, didn't work from year to year. but as I move from 14 to 50 colonies, my notes will get more abbreviated I'm sure.


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## alpha6 (May 12, 2008)

About 99 percent are wood. It's a real quick way to keep up with a yard. What we found is that even if you wrote it in a notebook, no one would read the notes from the previous visit to know what hives to check or what to look for etc. So by writing on the lid, whoever was checking the yard would know what to look for.

Examples are - "No eggs, check for queen" The next time the hive is checked they will look for eggs or a queen...if neither is seen then we know the hive went queenless and will put in a brood of eggs for them to raise a new queen or combine. Better then letting a hive die out completly.

"X" - Dead out or dying. We also will flip the lid.

"FB" - Foul Brood;

"Weak" - We will check again to see if it needs requeening or if its got nosema or a heavy mite load.

"Nos" - Nosema - usually treated by throwing on feed with EO's.

"No S" means don't super

A big check mark means for the next person to open and really check the hive as nothing specific was found the time before but something is up with that hive.

We also will write on the top "09" for a new queen introduced - Mainly so we remember to write it in our notebooks so we can keep track of the hives as we schedule to re order the next years queens. 

A typical sequence will be "No Q"; "Q Cells", "Eggs"; "09 Q - No S" So it would be the hive went queen less, we intro eggs they build queen cells, we find eggs or the new queen and we mark it as a new queen and let them build up strong and keep the supers off.

Hope that helps.


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## Let_it _Bee (May 21, 2004)

I've only got 16 hives, but this year I started using mailbox numbers put on the hive stands.


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## StevenG (Mar 27, 2009)

That's a great help, Alpha6. How long do your wooden tops last? They have to be cheaper to make, than the metal covered ones.


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## alpha6 (May 12, 2008)

I can get ten out of a sheet of plywood. I have both 1/2 in and 3/4 in. The 3/4 in last lots longer and worth the extra 6 bucks. I take the unused part of the plywood and strip it and nail or screw that to the edges of the plywood top that gets the most use. I then dunk them in stain...let dry and paint (just the top part). Last for years and years this way.


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## suttonbeeman (Aug 22, 2003)

I use a red lumber crayon....will wash off in about 6-10 months. so info stays there until you have new/later info. Like alpha....x means dead out, qc=queencell, vq= virgin queen. eggs= eggs in cell, fb dont stay around long as it gets to make a weiner roast, f= feed, mite= mites
sp= split. w=weak st=strong nw= new queen


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