# My beekeeping journal



## Barry Digman (May 21, 2003)

I'm going to stop making notes on legal pads, backs of envelopes, sticky notes, etc. They never get put together in anything even resembling a journal, so I've decided that I need an official beekeeper's journal or daily planner or diary or whatever one wants to call it. 

But I need some help designing the thing. 

What I'm thinking of is a ring binder style that's about the size of a Boy Scout handbook. The ring style allows you to add pages after you've filled up a day and want to include a picture or sketch or something. One page per day, with selected information printed on the page. I like the stuff such as moon phases, soltices, etc. but can live without the date of the Emperor's birthday. Lined paper, big enough for me to write legible notes in.

I'd like a section of the page to have weather notes like temperature, wind, humidity, precip., etc. 

I love the weights and measures pages in many daily planners, but would also like beekeeping specific weights and measures such as hive dimensions, average lbs per gallon of honey, bee space, etc. Conversions would be nice too.

I'd also like definitions, such as "Illinois", "Deep", "QMP"...

Somewhere I'd like a simple inventory system for equipment, as in "Hive Tools - 7" (but I can only find 2)

Also a description of bee diseases with graphics or photos, and an explanation of how to test for those things.

Another page with development stages of bees and the associated days.

My question is what do you folks keep in your notes, and what would you include in such a journal if you could? 

For the techo-beeks, I suppose the thing could be designed or formatted such that it would be easy to put it into a computer, but for starters it would be enough for me just to get it in one place and be able to find it under the seat of my pickup.

Oh, another thing. A waterproof nylon zippered or velcro cover.

[ February 21, 2007, 11:07 AM: Message edited by: coyote ]


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## Troutsqueezer (May 17, 2005)

www.diyplanner.com

No Beekeeping forms there but might be a starting place.


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## beegee (Jun 3, 2003)

I think a pocket-sized digital voice recorder would be an effective tool. You can make notes as you go, then transcribe them at home with clean hands and without a bunch of bees buzzing around. You can make quick comments about what you see, hear and smell as you go. Sometimes it's tough to stop and make notes on paper. I have used my digital camera to take pictures of hive conditions. The memory is not as accurate as a photo. You can use photos as base-lines for subsequent inspections. The photos can also be posted or emailed for remote help in diagnosing problems. A lot of beekeeper still use bricks on the hive cover as a hive code. That works OK if nobody bothers the bricks.....

I've got a Palm program I downloaded for keeping beehive records. I didn't use it, but that's another option. http://www.apimo.dk/

However you decide to do it, it will be the way YOU want it. My system may not work for you. 

You could do a journal sheet for each hive or a sheet with a grid for multiple hives, using code letters or numbers. Then you would have a place for weather:temp, humidity, rainfall, wind. Pollen coming in; # and location of frames being worked per super, varroa count, hive beetles and other pests. Most of the other stuff you are thinking of, like hive tool inventory, pictures of diseases, definitions, weights and measures and developmental stages of bees can be carried between your ears. I don't think I've ever entered a bee yard wondering about hive dimensions....

Of course a small hobby beekeeper has the luxury of being able to track all sorts of data if he wants to. The more hives you operate, the less need and time you'll have for minutiae. It's a question of the shotgun approach or the rifle approach. The more you standardize you operation, the better you will be able to spot anomalies.


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## beegee (Jun 3, 2003)

If you do a google search for beekeeping software, you will find several interesting programs from around the world. If you intend to use a journal to do data entry, it would behoove you to use input forms to match the output forms, even if you use MS Access or Excel.


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## NW IN Beekeeper (Jun 29, 2005)

coyote's doing a ... a diary, what's next ballet or kniting? [snicker snicker]

Let us know how feel when you find your inner beekeeper ok?










[ February 21, 2007, 12:27 PM: Message edited by: NW IN Beekeeper ]


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## Barry Digman (May 21, 2003)

"coyote's doing a ... a diary, what's next ballet or kniting? [snicker snicker]
Let us know how feel when you find your inner beekeeper ok?"

I'm adding a page that lists Man Law. And I've changed the cover from waterproof nylon or Gortex to black tooled leather. With one of those chains on it like the bikers use for their wallets.

I have an original, handwritten diary from 1920 that belonged to what is known in the oil bidnezz as a "company man". He was the guy who represented the interests of the company who was paying for having an oil well drilled. Often times he was far from the company offices, and had to do everything from negotiating leases to arranging for a "4-up" team of horses to move equipment. This guy wrote every day about the weather, the prices he paid for everything from oranges to a room, the progress of the well, etc. He was particularly delighted to arrive on a new location to find "150 cords of wood cut and stacked per orders, needed to fire steam boiler". It's pretty neat, and who'd a thunk something so pedestrian in 1920 would hold so much fascination today? Anyway, that's part of the inspiration for a handwritten journal.


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## Maine_Beekeeper (Mar 19, 2006)

Hi Coyte - 
I used a 3 ring binder with tabs - one for each hive. I made a simple form on Word that splits the page into 4 quarters. Each quarter has the following: 
Hive: 
Date: Time:
Weather:
# of Boxes:
# of Supers: 
Notes: 
(about 12 lines)
Feed/Medication:
Action to take: 

The pages are hole punched and I have a bunch of blanks at the back so I can add another as needed. I did a pretty good job of filling it out most times I checked the hives. 

It worked great and was very inexpensive. Looking back at it now gives me a great planning tool...


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## George Fergusson (May 19, 2005)

>I have an original, handwritten diary from 1920

I have (had) an original diary from the early 1900's that belonged to a local laborer around here. Almost every entry began "It was pleasant today." It described his daily activities- haying, cutting wood, digging potatoes, whatever. I gave it to the local Hysterical Society.

For beekeeping, I use a surveyor's hard-cover field book. I have a case of them left over from when I was in the business. It's the right size to fit in the pocket of my bee suit and has durable more or less waterproof pages. I just keep miscellaneous notes on an irregular basis. I should probably be more thorough, I rely on my memory too much. I think. I can't remember.


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## Hobie (Jun 1, 2006)

George, I LOVE that historical stuff. Great idea to give it to the Hist. Soc... It's so valuable to bave a glimpse into everyday life. Our local historical society was given a pile of letters from a Civil War soldier to his girl, with funny remarks like sharing his cot with 1000 roommates (lice).


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## Albert (Nov 12, 2006)

Great Idea!

I keep one daily journal on computer. It starts with the date, weather, and odds and ends like birds and animals I've seen, plants that are blooming, garden obsevations that sort of thing.

Then I put in any hive observations. I try to be as thorough as possible. Nice thing about it being on computer is that you can reference other files with a hyperlink making it easy to pull something up on that particular subject.

While walking the hives I carry one of those 3X5 spiral top note pads. I write the date I start using the pad on the outside cover. Each day I use it, I write that date and enough notes to remind me of what I saw.

In addition I have a hive assesment sheet I got from Joe Waggle's site "Feral Bee Project" (I think)

Feral Bee Project 

Look in the files section. I modify it so I can use it quarterly, in addition to the way it was intended to be used. I formated it so two will fit on a sheet of 8.5X11 in landscape. Printed out a dozen of them on both sides and folded it into a book form. Very handy

And I keep a "pedigree" sheet. Thats kind of a misnomer. It really only tells me what hives I have used for splits or forced supercedure. For instance, the first split of this year consisted of brood from three different hives. There's no telling which frame the bees drew a queen cell on.

On the other hand, the second nuc I put together only got brood from one hive. But my notes make it clear.

In the end the one I use the most is the daily journal. And you will be surprised when you look back on it after a few monthes and see the progress (or lack thereof!) that you have made.

Albert


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## Jeffrey Todd (Mar 17, 2006)

A recorder in the bee yard is very useful, especially a voice-activated one.

[ February 21, 2007, 11:26 PM: Message edited by: Jeffrey Todd ]


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## Michael Bush (Aug 2, 2002)

I just put all that stuff on my web site.


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## Michael Palmer (Dec 29, 2006)

I use two "journals."

The first is just a dated diary of what I've done each day in each yard. What I've done, what I need there, any problems, counts, etc.

The second "journal" is a yard sheet. I've been using the one in Laidlaw and Page, "Queen Rearing and Bee Breeding." Because their yard sheet has many items that I don't use, I believe I will go to using Cornell's yard sheet...located at:

www.masterbeekeeper.org/pdf/colony_card.pdf

On the Cornell site, there is a page describing the yard sheet, and how to use it.

I find having two journals helps me keep better organized.


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## Jim Fischer (Jan 5, 2001)

I use pocket notebooks and Pilot pen fine-point
felt-tip markers in the beeyard, as I have learned 
the hard way that high-tech toys like Palm Pilots
are too fragile to live in the pocket of a beekeeper.

We used to do "data entry" into a very ad-hoc
and free-form Informix database, but to be
honest, a simple spreadsheet is easier to use,
easier to modify, and easier for teenage employees
to deal with, as a basic rule is that everyone
reads their own notes, and does their own data 
entry, to avoid misinterpretation of the usual
cryptic notations.

I've tried a lot of different application software
packages marketed at beekeepers, and I always end
up wanting to add a field or three, which is
either impossible, or very difficult with these
canned packages.

For example, who would have ever thought to add
"longitude" and "latitude" fields to a beekeeping
database to define the actual location of a hive?
When 3-foot GPS resolution became available to
civilians, it was the best way to avoid losing
track of a hive! (And yeah, everyone with more
than a handful of hives has "lost" a few, as
it is easy to do when you move them in the dark
when you are dead tired!)


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## Tia (Nov 19, 2003)

I wish I could be this organized about my bees, but I'm not. Since I'm on a "first name basis" with each of my seven hives, I just keep everything in my head while out in the beeyard and transcribe it once I'm back inside. It's not the best way because although I can fully remember and report present status of each hive, I sometimes forget things I want to note that I plan to do on my next visit. Problem is, I just find having another thing to carry to the hives just one more thing that I don't want to have to carry to the hives! Fortunately, my girls are none the worse for my lack of diligence (so far)!


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## Ross (Apr 30, 2003)

My uncle has organic gardening journals from his whole life. He is 96 and still gardening. Try LeeValley.com for a very nice bound journal.


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## Joel (Mar 3, 2005)

Back in the late '80's & most of the '90's I kept a journal in a ring bound calendar from Rodales Organic Gardening (also bought about $1000 worth of books and magazines during that time it's great and insightful resource). Heidi Stonehill did the design and it was fantastic.

My Great Grandfather, a Fingelakes farmer in the 1800's, kept a Journal which I was fortunate enought to read in my youth. I used to love reading the entries on the days as they were happening now 100 yrs. later and spent many a lazy summer afternoon helping the neighbors mow hay or repair a barn roof, or getting corn into the crib. I suppose when he wrote he looked back and though how much better the days were reading his great grandfathers journal but for me the concept of getting up every day and making my life from the land, spending time with neighbors (who often lived a mile or so away), working in an econmy based on how much I produced for me and from my neighbor seemed like a time of much less encumbered freedom.

[ February 23, 2007, 06:47 PM: Message edited by: Joel ]


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## kc in wv (Feb 1, 2006)

Coyote
I have revised mine this year. I use index cards punched to go in the binder. In the very front of the book is a to do list for the next visit to the apairies.
I have a section for each apiary with cards for each hive. One card has the genealogy of the hive. The other cards for the hives I put important things like treatments, observations

I also plan on having a digital picture of each yard so I can use them to jog the memory while I am catching up the log.

Like you I am open to suggestions on how to improve my bee diary


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## Janice Lane (Feb 5, 2006)

I've taped ziplock bags on the top cover and I keep records of mite counts and any thing unusual on an excel template and keep them in the bags.


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## JohnK and Sheri (Nov 28, 2004)

John uses a small three ring binder for notes on each yard, which are named after the 45 or so landowners. We don't keep notes on individual colonies. If something is wrong with one it will either be fixed right then and/or get a mark on the cover and a note in the book for next trip to that yard. 

At home he has a styro pin graph with a row for every yard, with number of colonies, on which he uses different colored stick pins meaning different things. Black is a deep, yellow a medium etc. After his day at the outyards he uses his notes to update the pin graph, marking each super with a pin and a date, so he can see at a glance which of the 45 yards needs supers put on or off, treated, fed or whatever. While every colony in the yard may not be exactly as respresented, the pins represent the majority. By looking at the pins he can plan his daily trip/s according to the most efficient manner, hopefully concerving gas and time.
I have tried to talk him into a computer "pin graph" but he is a bit techphobic and likes his system. It is primitive but works for him.
Sheri


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## bleakley (Jun 13, 2004)

*coyote*,

I used a journal, exactly in the manner you described, professionally for *years*. My vendor of choice was Daytimer (two pages per day format, with add-in sheets of many kinds all in a page size similar to your description. The records were kept religiously for subsequent reference.

At retirement, I vowed, with conviction, to never do that again. And, I haven't . . . and I won't.

But, I am *seiously* interested in keeping records and notes of my beekeeping work. My main reasons are to establish baseline data (blooms, colony buildup, so forth), determine variances from baseline, track queen line peformance, and the like. Oh, one more reason is to document the business functions in support of tax deductions.

Having sworn off the binder journal approach, I have set up a computer database for my purposes. It's in Microsoft Access and is still finding its final form as I make periodic adaptions to make form follow function, practicality and convenience.

In the field I do use legal pads, scraps of paper, whatever to make temporary shirt cuff records. I also use a preformated hive inspection planner/assessment/actions tool (paper) and a voice activated digital recorder. These are used with inconsistent degrees of diligence depending upon volume of work and other non beekeeping time pressures.

Whatever paper records are produced, they are indeed temporary and are eventually discarded. But, they are all keyed into the database before they are thrown out. The database includes entry screens that expedite transcription and, more importantly, it provides a structure and discipline for meeting my data collection goals/purposes. 

coyote, if you're still with me, the main problem I had with the three-ring binder jounals was that subsequent data retrieval was a *major* problem (no index, key to contents, cross references, etc.).  Tracing data eleemnts was, in the end, reliant on memory (now certainly less dependable) or required a lot of reading. 

Should you want to consider going the database route, I'd be pleased to share.

Cheers!


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## Barry Digman (May 21, 2003)

Man, you guys are good. After Bob's point about data retrieval I'll have to reconsider the strictly paper format.


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## drobbins (Jun 1, 2005)

Bob

tell us more about your database ideas
I put this together last year and kind of let it fall by the wayside
(leave the password bank and click "login")

http://www.drobbins.net/bee's/honeyjar.html 

I need to get off my butt and finish it up but I'm a little lost as to exactly what data to collect
I have 2 versions of it, one runs over the web and one is standalone on 1 machine

Dave

[ February 25, 2007, 09:01 PM: Message edited by: drobbins ]


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## bleakley (Jun 13, 2004)

*drobbins*,

Sorry for the delayed response . . . been on the road and although I had access to a computer, I couldn't my Beesource password . . . chalk it up to old age.

The MS Access database I've mentioned has been structured to include the following:

1. Beeyards
2. Colonies
3. Queens
4. Hive inspection data
5. Beekeeper's journal
6. Weather log
7


Some of these are have been implemented and some are yet to be


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## bleakley (Jun 13, 2004)

*drobbins*,

Sorry for the delayed response . . . been on the road and although I had access to a computer, I couldn't remember my Beesource password . . . chalk it up to old age.

The MS Access database I've mentioned has been structured to include the following:

1. Beeyards
2. Colonies
3. Queens
4. Hive inspection data
5. Beekeeper's journal
6. Weather log
7. Time log
8. Customers
9. Product distribution

Some of these are have been implemented and some are yet to be fully utilized.

If you have MS Access and the interest, I can send you via PM the hive inspection table and data entry screen. That will give you a feel of the thing.


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