# Official Launch of Hive Tracks



## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Welcome. Bee careful what you ask 4. 

Right from first glance, is that a bee or a yellowjacket wasp in the upper left corner? It looks like it has a head and a body, not three body parts like insect have. That's as far as I have gotten so far. Back for more later after I get into it. But it would be nice to have more of an introduction before having to commit oneself to an account. Some people are leary of taking such a step w/out more knowledge.


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

I can take it!:ws
Its a bee (2 pair of wings). Good point on the info. We have focused so much on the database that the website bits are still weak. I intend to have a "demo" yard setup where users can actually test drive Hive Tracks before making an account. This is version 1 so there are many, many missing features. Thanks for the feedback. You are not the first user to ask for more info before creating an account.


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## dkvello (Apr 2, 2010)

Ok Mark, thanks for this, it is something I have been thinking about. I took a leap of faith and started an account. Some things that I found quickly were: In hive bulider,if you add and entrance reducer it tells you something is wrong with your set up ( not what, just something, trial and error to figure out what). We are in the derth here and many folks use an reducer (with screened bottom boards) to prevent robbing. How about a screened inner cover? Can you back date? I created two yards and noticed that in yard 2 inspections under the RX section there is sugur water, which where not aviliable in yard 1. How about combining hives?

Thanks, 
Dave


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## bigbearomaha (Sep 3, 2009)

Well...
Right off the bat, it is nearly useless to me.

While I am sure the many people with Langstroth style hives will find it handy, I have only a couple of those, with the majority of my hives being tbh's.

There are many people I know who keep a variety of hives now a days in a bee yard, not only Langs, even though langs may be the majority in their yard, they may still like to keep track of the other hives as well.

The way people work with bees and the equipment used is very diverse and I know that will increase the difficulty of creating a fully comprehensive site. but the more options you can provide, the more useful the site will be to a wider audience.

presentation wise, the click through screens for entering information is nice.
the methods of using sliders and other data entry methods beyond text is interesting and appealing as well.

I would suggest in the inspections that an area for pests be included. it isn't just diseases that bees suffer from. beetles and skunks and raccoons, even bears, depending on location are things to pay attention to in the apiary.

beyond that, I guess what stands out most to me is the lack of options. you have selections for type of foundation except none, for example.

same for treatments. sure, one can simply not check those items, but what if one wants others to be able to read those inspections and not have the reader have to guess that they don't use treatments or foundation or other things? "none" as an option can be quite descriptive in terms of hive management as well.

speaking of which, are there plans for a summary or reports section where people can print or download reports and information about their beeyards and hives?

as I mentioned in reviewing someone else's bee tracking website, online apps are great until I can't access them due to my ISP being down, your server being down or any number of database crashes, code issues, etc... data is completely inaccessible at those times and that's not a good feeling for anyone. having a way to obtain backups or working offline with one's data is a confidence building plus.

ok. that's it for now I think. you asked, I answered.

I'll keep watching and see how/if it progresses/improves.

Big Bear


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

Nice working on finding the issue with entrance reducers. I have a fix and will post it later today. I don't understand the issue with sugar feedings though. It should be the same for all yards... are you sure you are hitting "next" to see all the pages of the inspection? Can you elaborate?


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

OK. Entrance reducer issue fixed and posted


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## Specialkayme (Sep 4, 2005)

Nice site. I started an account today, although I don't know if I will continue to use it in the future. Time will tell.

Do you mind if I ask what service Hive Tracks offers that Bee Tight doesn't? The only difference I have seen is that Bee Tight offers the addition of different types of hives (TBH, Warre, ect) while you only have Langs. Bee Tight also cost $15 a year for over 6 hives. I'm assuming yours is free indefinitely?

If you are offering it for free, what type of server space do you have? Will you be able to handle hundreds of individuals opening free accounts? What if a few of them are commercialists checking it daily, with thousands of hives? The last thing I'm interested in doing is putting all my data on a website that crashes in two months.

Is it possible do download your data and back it up on your own computer? Just in case?

I also would be very interested in a printable form, to share with others, take with you as you sell to another, or just keep as a paper copy.

Bee Tight also offers barcodes for each hive that you can print off and put on the hive. If you have a phone that reads barcodes, you can even do it all from your phone out in the yard. You may not be able to offer barcodes, but some form of hive identifiers would be helpful. 

Generally speaking I can't say that I'm for using computer software to track hives at the moment. My out-apiaries are over an hour away. I don't have computer access there, so I have to either remember the information and hope I remember it correctly by the time I make it back home, or I have to write it down to transfer it into the computer later. If I write it down, why transfer it into the computer? If relying on memory, the data isn't very accurate anyway. But those are critiques on the system as a whole, not so much on your site.


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

Thanks for the input Specialkayme. Hive Tracks is just coming out of version 1 development and will have lots of new features added later this year including many of the ones you mentioned. As for using a computer, the idea is not to replace pen and paper, the idea is to get the most out of the information. If you just write stuff down its really hard later to find trends, sort stuff, find min and max values, compare hives in one yard to hives in another, keep track of what you did to a hive even if you did not write it down. As you use Hive Tracks, these things are automatically tracked. In later releases we will have reports and geo-maps with honey flows, trends in pests and correlations with weather and other stuff that can only be done with a computer. This is the true value of Hive Tracks.


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## Specialkayme (Sep 4, 2005)

mhenson said:


> In later releases we will have reports and geo-maps with honey flows,


Now that is something I would be interested in!


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## dkvello (Apr 2, 2010)

mhenson said:


> Nice working on finding the issue with entrance reducers. I have a fix and will post it later today. I don't understand the issue with sugar feedings though. It should be the same for all yards... are you sure you are hitting "next" to see all the pages of the inspection? Can you elaborate?


Opps, my bad. Thanks for the quick turnaround on the E-Reducer


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## ickyfritz (Apr 8, 2009)

Are you able to move a hive from one yard to another or do you have to delete and create again?


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

To move hives is a Cut-Copy-Paste thing:

1. Go to the yard page that shows the list of hives in a table.
2. Check the checkbox for the hives you want to move
3. Hit the "Edit/Cut" menu item. You will see a scissor icon on the hives you are "cutting".
4. Select the same table view of yard you want to move the hives to and hit the "Edit/Paste" menu item.

This will move the hives with all their inspections, photos and other attributes to the new yard.


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## NewbeeNnc (May 21, 2009)

I've been using their site for a couple of months as I know Mr. Wilkes who has a hand in developing this and will be doing the presentation at EAS. He is a professor at Appalachian State where the conference is held.

The site works well for me for what I have used it for.

Good luck on your Going live.


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

I like it so far. However, there is no provision for 4 or 5 frame nucs in the hive builder section. Would be a nice addition.


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

When you create a hive you can set the number of frames it has. If you change your mind you can change it. Take a look at the "Hive Information" tab of a given hive. The only problem is that it will not look any different in the image I render. I will work on that.


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## camero7 (Sep 21, 2009)

Hi Mark,

Did that...

a couple of other notes:

1. NO provision for VSH Queens or way to write them in.
2. No Shallow supers 
3. No migratory bottom boards or covers, and I get a message that my configuration is not quite right, but I can't build the hives I have.

I'll keep writing as I find more stuff, if I do, but I like the format and the info pretty well.

Cam Bishop


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

Thanks Cam. Actually you can give a queen any description you like after you select a type. Just type it in the description textbox. I will add a VSH type though... good point.


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## bigbearomaha (Sep 3, 2009)

As I mentioned in my post. Options. More options. 

Big Bear


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## emptyenergy (Mar 30, 2010)

There is a typo in the first step of creating an account.


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## bigd (Apr 18, 2010)

Interesting site. The problem of to few options has been addressed. The issue I have is in the "history" heading.It shows everything with todays date.It should show chronological order of when the hive was created,when the queen was installed,etc. Am I just missing something? Regardless,thanks for the service!


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## CapnChkn (Jun 23, 2010)

I am stuck registering an account without seeing what's in the box. I have seen too many sad computer programs in fancy packaging to just jump in without looking. I already have my information out there enough without having to enter it on another server that may never get used again.


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

I hear ya about the lack of Info. We're working on our terms of service and a better description of what it does. I'm also working on a way to "Test Drive" Hive Tracks with a "dummy" account. You will be able to do everything... create yards and hives, do inspections, really test drive it... but when the dummy session ends the changes are lost. I hope to have this done within a couple of weeks. Thanks for the feedback everyone!!!!! I LOVE BeeSource.com and am a covert to forums.


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## Cape Beekeeper (Oct 9, 2009)

I fill in the info for hives press "next" or "finish" and nothing happens...


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

Sorry about the trouble with making a new hive. I'm reviewing the logs now and it looks like the "Hive Builder" step is causing the issue. I should be able to figure it out but it would help if you could you tell which components you are attempting to us in your new hive? THANKS!


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

A recent comment about rain reminds me... one of the big features in Hive Tracks is weather tracking. Each time you visit the site we record the current weather at all of your yards (we space the readings out by 5 or 6 hours). Right now we record a LOT of weather data but are only displaying the highlights. We intend to correlate this data with trends in pests and bee behavior later. If you like you can force a weather reading any time as well as include a weather reading in your inspections... check out the "Weather" tab on the Yards page and in the inspection dialog.


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## hpm08161947 (May 16, 2009)

This is probably a stupid question but I'll ask it anyway... is this the type of application that can be used from a Blackberry or Iphone? If so I can see potential use for it by my son (the Boss Beek) who eternally carries one in the field. I really could see him updating hives while in various yards... as far as myself - well I'm mobile device challenged.


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## Adam Foster Collins (Nov 4, 2009)

This type of thing can surely be useful. I use the BeeTight service. It's a competitor, but competition can make everyone better...

http://www.beetight.com/


Adam


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## junglebee (May 24, 2010)

Really a good tool.
I am now a member. Only USA ? I'm an American living overseas. Couldn't change long.&Lat. settings since there based on US zip code. Used old Fla. Zip. to sign up. All in all very nice, it will be of good use. Thanks man!


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## DutchBee (Jul 14, 2009)

I know some of this has been called out already:

Reports Would be awesome with printing as well
apple app so i can take my iPad to the yard 
Harvest by hive/ yard tab
Treatments tab hive/ yard
swarm info hive swarmed/ created from
hive split
blossom information

on the queen info selection for hive created
pictures, you did not give size limitation so it took me a while to figure out why some of the pictures were causing an error. The error did not say picture to large.
Add pictures does not work for hives only for yards.

I have completed my yard #1


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## Monie (Feb 13, 2008)

Small typo:...to create *you* first bee yard. If you're already logged in then follow the links to at the top of this page to your bee yards or your account. ENJOY!

Definitely change out the pic in the upper left corner. It looks like a drone with butterfly wings.

As for source of bees, it'd be nice to see Trap Outs and Cut Outs on there.

On the Hive Builder, I'd be nice to see migratory tops, homemade top.

I do like the inspection part of it.


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

Mobile app is on the drawing board. We are focusing on the beekeeping bits first, then we will make another pass over the whole front end including new mobile app. Thanks for your interest!


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

The picture upload was the last thing developed and needs work. It fails to display errors. All pictures must have a unique file name at the moment even across hives and yards. That may be why you could not upload a hive pic. We will be working on that section asap to work out the kinks.

Your list of feature requests matches the top 10 on our list too so you should begin to see some of these over the next few months. Thanks for taking the time!


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## wildbeekeeper (Jul 3, 2010)

under hive inspection you list various pests/diseases and then a level such as low med or high... would be nice to have a level value for each pest/disease. maybe high in mites but with the sac brood, an addition for natural comb in step 3 of inspections for foundation type, varroa spelled wrong in step 4, in step 5 addition of a "none" choice.. otherwise great site! ive set up my colonies on it!


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

Only supporting USA zip codes at the moment but we have international on the planning board. We are trying to maintain very tight control over geographic data thus the USA limit for now. Thanks for the kind words!


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

Thanks for the spell check. There has ben a lots off tipos founded.... thats my fault... I'm a coder not a speler. I'll look at your request for more detail in pests and see if I can slip that in before our official launch at the EAS show. We are a bit spooky about updating the sight so close to the big launch... where I stand in front of the 400 of the biggest experts on the east coast and try to convince them that Hive Tracks is not a toy


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

Hi All - I've added 4 new hive components types to the site: Queen excluder, Hive Top Feeder, Shallow Super (do different really from Honey Super) and Screened Inner Cover (I did not know about these!). Let me know if anyone has trouble using these new types.


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## bigbearomaha (Sep 3, 2009)

So it seems you are intending to only focus on Langs. at least for now. With a big presentation, I can see wanting to put a streamlined, best foot forward. I do hope that there may be consideration of adding other choices for hive types in the future.

Big Bear


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## Daddy'sBees (Jul 1, 2010)

Ditto BigBear on that one!!!


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## ShelleyStuart (Jan 4, 2010)

Here's some notes from someone with only 4 hives (and likely to stay that way for a while).

It's sloooooooow. Frustrating to use since it takes so long for my entries to update. I'm used to a much faster response time with online interfaces.

In the hive options, when I hit "save" I expected it to save all changes in all tabs, not just the active tab.

It would be really nice if the date fields ignored me when I typed "/" and just entered the numbers. I screwed up nearly every date entry because I was speed-typing, and out of habit added the "/".

It would be very cool to have a quick way to enter in scale hive weight (which could be a sharable value when you get a mapping interface incorporated).

Don't include my password in the account confirmation email!!!!

For Queen options, it would be nice to have an option for "homegrown". I made a walk-away split so I'm sure that my queen's a pure-bred mutt.

I'd like to have a place to note honey-related values; % capped honey, amount harvested, quality or type.

It'd be handy for me in the "inspections" area to have an "actions" step to note what I did to the hive that may not fall into the pre-set categories. I'm still fiddling with my setups so I keep notes on such things.

It'd also be handy to have a "to-do" list, perhaps tagged for e-mail reminders. For example, I made a nuc, then I date a month down the road to check for queenright (and Hive Tracks emails me x days prior so I know when to look).

Shelley


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## BigDru (Aug 4, 2009)

I like it so far. Yes there are some additional things that would make my record keeping better for me. I don't feed extensively so when I do, it is usually a jar on a simple enterance feeder. I would also like the option to do spread sheets or graphs.


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## Buffalolick (Jan 26, 2010)

What is your business model? Will the site be free to users going foward or just during launch/trial phase? If free will it be advertiser supported or is there another entity that will pay for access to all this data?


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## mxr618 (Apr 23, 2008)

I'm loaded up. Would like to see:
1. a way to differentiate langs from nucs. 
2. an inventory system for unused frames, deeps, mediums, etc. I can't ever remember how many unused frames I have and what I have in hive parts before I split and need to make more woodenware and place an order.
3.Would like to see a function where you can track the amount of honey in lbs that comes out of any given super.
4. Would also like to see a revenue/cost section...how much did you pay for your equipment? How much did you sell your honey for (if you did)?

I'll have more feedback shortly.

Tom


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

It will have ads one day and the data will be mined for geographic trends but NOT for personal info. We have a Google-esk ideal of "do no evil" and a "build it and they will come" business model. Actaully, it started out as an app to fill our own needs and grow from there.


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

These are all excellent points Shelly. Thanks for taking the time. I will address the password in e-mails thing now.

The speed thing is something we are working on all the time. When we get out of debug mode it will be faster but not as fast as it shoud be.

We have plans for weight and are working on an "instrumented hive" that will connect to Hive Tracks by wireless and record this and much more automatically.... that's a big deal and is down the road a ways.


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## wolfpenfarm (Jan 13, 2009)

mhenson said:


> These are all excellent points Shelly. Thanks for taking the time. I will address the password in e-mails thing now.


WEll doesn't work for me, i setup a acct, never got a email and it won't let me login.


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## rweakley (Jul 2, 2004)

Site is working wonderfully for me. Quick response time. Pretty intuitive to use. I would like to see a foundation type of foundationless and I will repeat the call for local bred queens as an option, MUTTS for lack of a better term. Also repeat call for blackberry version as well. Thanks for this, I'll just have to remember to use it so it will be useful.


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## pom51 (Jul 28, 2008)

I would like to see the ability to use the abc along with number to number the hives and supers 
example brood # B10 1
deep super ds 10 1 
ss 101 
for i number all my hives first number are the number of frames the second part of number after the space is hive number. this is the way that i keep up with my hives works good for me

thanks


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

Please send an e-mail to [email protected] with the user name you attempted to use and I will see what happen.


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

New Feature added: Hive Tracks now has a way to "Test Drive" before committing to an account. Thanks for the feedback. This was an often requested feature. You will only see the button to test drive the app if you are not already logged on.


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## TripleH (Jun 5, 2010)

Hi,
I think you have a terrific product in development and encourage you to continue...it's great! Thank you!

During this beta period you must get swamped with all sorts of "input" as to what people would like to have HiveTracks do for them. I was in the framing business for 30 years and worked with a software vendor in that industry to supply my input. Well as a new beek since early this year here is my 2 cents.

In the hive building section:
-Are you defining the IPM bottom board as a screened bottom board or is that something to add to the list.
-Additional items to consider adding to the component list
- robber screen with an add/remove date and type/brand
- mouse guard/screen with an add/remove date
- SHB traps with an add/remove date and type/brand
- pollen traps with an add/remove date and type/brand
- propolis traps with an add/remove date and type/brand
- venom collection
- royal jelly collection
The reason for the "with an add/remove date and type/brand" feature allows beeks to experiment with different equipment and track the results.

I also agree with the previous poster to expand the # of choices in inspections that can be answered with a range of answers (ie: mites, foulbrood) and give the option for both text answers - low medium high and numeric counts and/or percentages tagged to a time of year and a way to track the results after the diagnosis for the efficacy of the treatment method.

As I am learning there can be slightly different definitions for beekeeping terminology from one beek to another. It would be helpful to be able to mouse over all the buttons, categories, hive components, and inspection terms and have the definition pop-up. It would also include variations on the name/definition. This would be a feature that could be turned on or off. It allows users to understand the definition as presented in HiveTracks and relate it to possible alternatives they may be more familiar with.

For those who choose to use a PDA/Smart-phone device it would be a bonus to be able to have voice to text capability thus allowing a hands-free feature during inspections.

In addition creating a way to insert video into HiveTracks. Both during inspections and also as a live streaming remote from multiple bee yards in scattered locations.

History of quantities of various harvested items honey, wax, pollen, propolis,
venom, royal jelly. depicted as a choice of either graph or chart for multiples within a year or annually.

Tracking for all costs: tools, equipment, feed, medications, etc.

I realize the enormity of such an undertaking and applaud your efforts !

Thanks for reading and all the best,

Tim Hayes


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## Dave Meldrum (Oct 15, 2007)

I commend you for doing this. I know it is a lot of work but I think this will be the trend for beekeepers, especially as smart phones become more popular.
A thought; Add "*Swarmed*" to the inspection, This happens to me often enough to be significant and I like to look back at swarm dates for hives.


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## BigDru (Aug 4, 2009)

mhenson said:


> It will have ads one day and the data will be mined for geographic trends but NOT for personal info. We have a Google-esk ideal of "do no evil" and a "build it and they will come" business model. Actaully, it started out as an app to fill our own needs and grow from there.


What good does this do for the average hobbist bee keeper if its not for personal info?


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

Wow! What an excellent post Tim. Thanks so much for taking the time. Some of the features in your list are quick and some of big development commitments. We are going to continue collecting input for the next month or so. We will have a “Grand Opening” next week at the Eastern Apicultural Society summer meeting right here in Boone, NC. I’m sure tons of feedback will be generated there too. Later in August we’ll sort and rank the feature requests then go back into development. Please keep posting your comments and watching the site. We are making small improvements all the time. We plan to make Hive Tracks an essential part of the restoration of bees of beekeeping around the world.

Sincerely,
Mark Henson
Founder of Hive Tracks


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## Barry (Dec 28, 1999)

mhenson said:


> It will have ads one day and the data will be mined for geographic trends but NOT for personal info.


Hi Mark -

The issue that online apps create for me is, who will end up having access to, and using, all the personal information that gets collected?

Regarding the fee/free issue of the site, as long as you are committing to everyone, the site will remain free, I have no problem with you soliciting the membership for input.


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

Thanks for bringing this important issue to the surface Barry. I have something to say about it:

We are committed, devoted protectors of privacy. We are doing this work (a ton of work) for the better good of the Honeybee and those who love them. We have worked for almost 2 years developing first a prototype then the real thing with no income. Sure, I want and need to get some sort of income stream going; otherwise I will not be able to keep this up. Clearly money is not what motivated Hive Tracks. I (Mark Henson) am the founder of Hive Tracks. I’m saying right here right now officially and without equivocation… www.hivetracks.com  is FREE and will stay that way as long as I have something to say about it (and right now I have everything to say about it 

Hive Tracks will NOT abuse personal information. We will NOT divulge who posted what without prior, explicit permission. We will NOT sell e-mail addresses. Every single page on the site is protected with SSL. We WILL mine the data for trends in diseases, treatments, pests, practices, weather patterns and so on. This again is for the good of the beekeeping community and more specifically our members. That means we will collect and make public stats and trends but names, addresses and contact information of the data contributors will remain anonymous. We will do this by publishing trends at the zip code level (thus our requirement of a zip code at sign up time.) This way our users can tell what is going on in their area but no personal data is disclosed.

Does this sound reasonable?

Thanks again for the input,
Mark Henson
Founder of Hive Tracks


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

I think you have misunderstood my point BigDr... Hive Tracks does allow you to enter your address, e-mail and other personal info. which you can manage at the site. The point is that we will protect it. You then enter your hives and inspections and stuff. The value is the way we make your information useful, easier to use and access and better organized than it would be in say a notebook or on scraps of paper (as was my case before Hive Tracks)


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

Thanks Dave. New features are in the works (starting in August) including a record of swarms. Stay tuned!


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

Sorry folks... Hive Tracks was taken off line for about 35 mins to be updated. It should be back up now.


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## Ethfol (Jun 25, 2010)

I just wanted to say keep up the good work!!! I can't believe you would offer something you have put so much time and effort into for free! The beekeeping community need's more people like you! Look forward to seeing how this site progresses!!
Again, WAY TO GO!!!


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

Thanks so very much Ethfol. Its this kind of comment that keeps us motivated! And please everyone remember. This is Hive Tracks Version 1. Version 2 is in the planning stage and will be hosted by years end. By next spring Hive Tracks Version 3 will be even more powerful because we issued the previous versions early and then said to our members... "What's missing?" And man have they every answered! Hive Tracks will get better, MUCH better and its all becausse of YOU!


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## honeydreams (Aug 10, 2009)

I have to say that is a very good site you built best one I ever used thanks the onlt thing I would do difrent is add were you can show how much Honey one take off each hive. But other then that Great job!


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## jajtiii (Jul 11, 2008)

I also like the site a lot.

From a usability perspective, I believe that the Date fields should only have validation done after the cursor leaves the field. Personally, I am used to going in and changing 07/26/2010 to 06/23/2010 by simply clicking within the month, backspacing and typing in a 6 where a 7 was. It seems that the code tries to validate/correct it on each change in the field, which creates a big mess when you try to do it the way I described. Effectively, to change a date, I have to remove the whole original and retype it all again.

When I tried to put in several inspections, the second inspection pulled in all of the data from the first one, as I was trying to enter it. This created a problem on some of the second and third windows, as some of these items were radio buttons and there was no way to deselect the options completely. I would assume that closing my browser would fix this, but it would be good if the data was cleared out on successful save.

For an upgrade function, it would be nice if there were a way to track a few bits of your own metadata, that you as a beekeeper could maintain. Having a page where you could enter metadata and then having a page for each hive where you could check those bits that were relevant to that inpsection, would be great. An example might be that I could enter the following items : Fed 1 Gallon Syrup, Fed 2 Quarts Syrup, Fed Pollen Patty, Fed Dry Megabee, Took Frame of Brood for a Swarm Catch/Cut out, Moved old frames to outside, etc.. Then, these would populate a form on the inspection sheet and allow me to check what I wanted for each inspection (and I could go back and add more, delete old ones or edit existing ones at a later date.)


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

All excellent points that are now on the list. The thing with not being able to reset radio buttons in the inspection dialog is a really a bug that I will fix. The meta data thing has been requested in one form or another by other users and will also be on the todo list. Thanks for taking the time write a thoughtful review.


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

Honey harvesting is at the very top of the todo list for Hive Tracks. We really should have waited to finish that before going public but because we needed to appear at the EAS conference in Boone we had no choice. Honey Harvest data in Hive Tracks is next for sure!


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## Bee Kid (Jan 3, 2010)

I looked at the demo and really liked it. I've been using Beetight for quite awhile and I'm not sure about switching over because I'll lose all my inspections saved on Beetight. It looks really great!

Bee Kid


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

How would this sytem benefit someone w/ 600 cols?


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

I will soon have a feature to import the inspections exported by bee tight. I've been looking at their exported data and its pretty simple. The only problem is it gives me nothing about the hives and yards. So... I will automatically create a new yard and hives in Hive Tracks with the new inspedtions and then you can move stuff around from there using the "Edit/Cut" menu. Sound good?


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

Hive Tracks supports any number of hives, any number of yards. If you try to put too many colonies in one yard the image we render gets pretty large. So for 600 colonies I would split them up into logical yards even if they are not really separate. For example you could put 300 in the "east side" yard and 300 on the "west side" yard. Be sure to see the last page of the Create Hive Wizard; it lets you create up to 300 hives with one click!


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

Let me modify this response a bit. While its possible to put 300 hives in a single yard it might be better to split it up even more. Perhaps more like 200 or 100 per yard. It just like files in a folder. It’s better to have a few folders with understandable names than to have all your files on your desktop!


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

There have been some concerns over speed which we are working on. In the meantime however you can get a much better response from Hive Tracks by using a non-Microsoft browser like Firefox or Chrome. IE 8 works OK but IE 7 is slow as Christmas.


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## Bee Kid (Jan 3, 2010)

Thanks for the info, I will be awaiting the upgrade so I can transfer my inspections from Beetight to Hive Tracks.
Thanks.

Bee Kid


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## Bee Kid (Jan 3, 2010)

Not to bother you but I noticed one thing on the test demo. I was going to add a solid bottom board below the screen bottom board but when I added it it was above the screen bottom board, so I selected it and pushed the "Move Down" button but it didn't do anything. It's probably nothing but it just caught my interest. 

Bee Kid


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## Ethfol (Jun 25, 2010)

> Version 2 is in the planning stage and will be hosted by years end.


Can't wait for that!!! I'm sure that EAS will go well! You've got a great program with a lot of potential! Keep up the good work!!


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## TripleH (Jun 5, 2010)

Mark,
Just did a full inspection yesterday and found Hives Tracks a terrific help. Can't wait for the planned updates to the system. Thanks and keep up the great work on the program.
Best,
Tim Hayes


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

Thanks so much Tim. This post is what we want to hear. People use and benefit from that use.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Got into it a little bit and then Internet Explorer said that it had to abort, or something like that.

I can imagine that Hive Tracks is a neat tool for the micro managing beekeeper. And/or, the beekeeper who is really trying to keep track of what they did in each individual hive and yard, especially if you are a bee breeder I guess. But I stopped writing down what i did in each yard a number of years ago and I certainly don't go back and read them or get much out of them when I do. So, I doubt that I will be using Hive Tracks.

From the little I saw, Hive Tracks looks like a good and potentially useful tool for some beekeepers. Thanks mark for designing it, bringing it to the attention of beesource members and taking the constructive comments to heart and improving your product. Best of luck to you and your users. 

I still like a paper and pencil to remind me of what I need to do. If I can find them at the time. Otherwise, it don't matter that much.


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

2 things:

1. You got the error because you are using an older version of IE. I would fix it but I can't (thanks a lot Microsoft.) The solution is to upgrade your browser (or use something like Firefox).

2. I hear ya on the detailed notes thing. I must confess my note taking is weak too. But Hive Tracks is in its infancy. We're working on an "instrumented hive" technology that will change beekeeping forever. It’s going to be a while before its available but when it does come out, hives will deliver their own data to Hive Tracks. It will be far more accurate than the notes humans take. When collected and analyzed in large amounts we will be able to deliver a level of understanding of beekeeping that is unprecedented. We will NEVER be caught flat-footed again by something like CCD. It’s ambitious but that’s the plan.


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## sqkcrk (Dec 10, 2005)

Laudable goals Mark. i like a person w/ initiative and ambition.

I'm not geek enuf to upgrade to be able to use Hive Tracks. I'll muddle through some how. i'm sure the younger beekeepers coming up will use it to it's maximum potential and that it will be for them a useful tool.

Again, my best wishes.


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## mac (May 1, 2005)

Tried to create a hive and the next button will not move past the first page. Using firefox on powerbook system 10.3.9. Can't upgrade to anything without getting a new computer. (like thats going to happen.) ;-]


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## Brent Bean (Jun 30, 2005)

I love it!! It’s the kind of program I have wanted since I started beekeeping. It is easy to use, intuitive and full of great visual aids. Bravo well done, I can’t believe you are giving it away. Would I pay for it? You Bet!


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

mac said:


> Tried to create a hive and the next button will not move past the first page. Using firefox on powerbook system 10.3.9. Can't upgrade to anything without getting a new computer. (like thats going to happen.) ;-]



Sorry for the trouble. I'm not sure this particular issue is due to the browser you are using. I'm looking at the logs and see no errors today... did you try this today or was it a few days ago? Lets take this maintainance issue off this thread and into support. Please send your response to [email protected]. I have a few questions so if you like send an e-mail to me with a phone number and I will call you and see if we can find the problem. If you don't want to do that (and I understand if you don't) then all I can do is plow the logs.


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

Brent Bean said:


> I love it!! It’s the kind of program I have wanted since I started beekeeping. It is easy to use, intuitive and full of great visual aids. Bravo well done, I can’t believe you are giving it away. Would I pay for it? You Bet!



THANKS Brent!! We WILL get payed one day... our "Field of Dreams" model ("build it and they will come") will work if we can get enough folks like you to use Hive Tracks. And stay tuned, more features on the way... big ones!


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

mac said:


> Tried to create a hive and the next button will not move past the first page. Using firefox on powerbook system 10.3.9. Can't upgrade to anything without getting a new computer. (like thats going to happen.) ;-]


Hi Mac. I'm just guessing here but I think I see an issue with the date control. Try typing a date but you don't have to type the slash /. Make sure you have it typed correctly before continuing. Or dismiss the dialog and try selecting a date from the drop down. I have issues with the date control that I WILL address as soon as the EAS event I'm attending this week is over. I just don't have the bandwidth for coding right now but I want to get you to the point of at least creating your hives. I must adimit I have not done any testing on a Mac. I have tested with Firefox on PC not not Mac. I will do some testing this week on an IPad (my partner is bringing to the EAS event) and maybe I will gain some insight if this problem persists. Again, please respond to [email protected]


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## Bear Creek Steve (Feb 18, 2009)

Mark,

First, thank you for all your work on Hive Tracks and all of the code and debugging you are doing.

I read the Hive Tracks blog of several screens a few days ago and several and made notes, but did not respond. Now I have read nine screens just to catch up.

Many of my notes now have been mentioned but I support the inclusion in the program of places to note: hive weight, pollen traps, propolis traps, bee escapes/type, and upper and/or lower entrances.

I think that your program will be much used and appreciated by the beekeeping community.

Thank You,
Bear Creek Steve


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## TripleH (Jun 5, 2010)

Mark,
The more I read the better HiveTracks gets. Thanks again to you for your devotion to the beekeeping community !!! No need to reply just keep at the keyboard !!!

All The Best,
Tim Hayes


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## USCBeeMan (Feb 7, 2009)

Just created an account and added 3 yards (no hives). While I like the ease of use I am not happy with the GPS coords using zip code. 

Could you add zip + 4 and generate accurate codes. This would probably help with weather input. My furtherst yard is 12 miles away. Using zip code only for GPS really doesn't give me accurate information. For instance, the furtherest yard (12 miles away) has the same City as my yard at my house. But it actually is closer to several other towns. One of which is in a different county. The difference in rain between these 2 yards and the fauna is significant.


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## Bear Creek Steve (Feb 18, 2009)

I would second Ken's comment. My distant yard is in a high mountain meadow with blooming clover as far as the eye can see. I do have GPS coordinates, but zip code is meaningless.

Steve


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

The lat/lon we provide is just a rough estimate. You can overwrite it with whatever cooredinates you like for either a yard or individual hives. The only thing to note is the text area where you enter lat/lon is a little tricky. It has an edit mask which is not the best in the world. I'm going to try and improve it over time.


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## TripleH (Jun 5, 2010)

What's new in the works?


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## jtravisbayne (Jul 25, 2010)

Any plans to add 5 frame nucs to your hive builder utility?


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## LandellApiaries (Aug 9, 2010)

jtravisbayne said:


> Any plans to add 5 frame nucs to your hive builder utility?


I agree that would be nice. Also, perhaps a TBH feature? I definitely think the program is great and really is a good tool for beeks.


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## Velbert (Mar 19, 2006)

If i have more that one size of hives in the yard some times I have Production Hives,5 frame nuc,and my Mini Nuc

I will make 3 yard entries
Georges Yard 9 Fr Deep Production Hives
Georges Yard 5 Fr Deep Nuc's
Georges Yard 4 Fr T/Bar


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## bigbearomaha (Sep 3, 2009)

You have replied to many questions but completely ignored any suggestions or requests for information about inclusion of alternative hive types such as tbh's.

Could you please just let us know if they will be added/supported or not in the future?

If not, I can then go about canceling my account and forgetting about this software.

If so, then I might consider sticking with it to see it develop and be of use to myself and many others who like me, primarily use top bar hives.

We simply want information.

Big Bear


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## Ethfol (Jun 25, 2010)

Brushy Mountain Bee Farm is having a webinar about this tonight. Go onto their website for more details.


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## Arkansas Beekeeper (May 23, 2010)

Does the site track cost/income? I am trying to compare cost of feed,medication, frames etc. with honey revenue.


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## mhenson (Jul 23, 2010)

Arkansas Beekeeper said:


> Does the site track cost/income? I am trying to compare cost of feed,medication, frames etc. with honey revenue.


We don't track costs/income at this time. I would imagine our best option here would be to export data that some accounting packages could then import.


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## scottsbees (Dec 19, 2007)

Very nice job. Thankyou for putting this out there. I signed up today and put in 6 yards. Finally some software I can use and understand. This will help me tremendously.:thumbsup:

Oh yea, are you going to have an Iphone app? I would pay for it. Thanks.


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## kenny61 (Dec 13, 2009)

I like the site but i too keep bees in TBH's,,,can you make adjustments to accomodate us too??/thanks


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## Bee Kid (Jan 3, 2010)

Mark,
I am getting aggravated with my Beetight account, it switches the languages all the time so it takes me double or triple as long to put down a few inspections, is there any way to export my inspections from Beetight to Hive Tracks? Thanks.

Bee Kid


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## melliferal (Aug 30, 2010)

Man, oh, man do I love this web application. Love it, love it, love it! I think the graphical-interface "hive builder" feature that I get a kick out of most. I like that I can actually keep track of equipment in that way.

I understand it isn't iPhone-compatible (yet); but that doesn't really bother me too much. I can take a notepad and pencil out to the apiary; I think the electronic device is better off waiting until my hands are clean, ha!


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## mac (May 1, 2005)

mhenson said:


> Hi Mac. I'm just guessing here but I think I see an issue with the date control. Try typing a date but you don't have to type the slash /. Make sure you have it typed correctly before continuing. Or dismiss the dialog and try selecting a date from the drop down. I have issues with the date control that I WILL address as soon as the EAS event I'm attending this week is over. I just don't have the bandwidth for coding right now but I want to get you to the point of at least creating your hives. I must adimit I have not done any testing on a Mac. I have tested with Firefox on PC not not Mac. I will do some testing this week on an IPad (my partner is bringing to the EAS event) and maybe I will gain some insight if this problem persists. Again, please respond to [email protected]


Sorry it took so long to get back to ya.Lots of other stuff to do.
YES it was a date issue and it works fine now. Thanks for your prompt response.
Seems like this should be useful and I will give it a shot. I see you now have a couple of adds good. Hope it pays. I don't use sbb so there is no option for solid bb, or am I missing something.As for security we all now know for sure that every web sight searched for using google has been saved @ google and can be retrieved at any time, so all personnel info may not be as secure as we like to think. I for one am sure everything on the net can be retrieved by someone somewhere because I can drive down the road and log onto someone’s network. Do no evil?? sure??:ws


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## MJuric (Jul 12, 2010)

mhenson said:


> Hi All - My name is Mark Henson. I'm a software developer and beekeeper in the western mountains of NC. I've been working for almost 2 years on a new online application for beekeepers. Hive Tracks (www.hivetracks.com) will have its official launch and débuted at the Eastern Apicultural Society (EAS) meeting in Boone, NC on August 2, 2010. Hive Tracks is a FREE service. Its not just a website. It’s a powerful online database where each user can track their yards, hives, weather, inspections, feedings, medications and more. Please take a look at it and give me your brutal, honest opinion.


I was looking at the site and it looks like a nice way to keep track of things. 

I only played with the demo for a short period of time but is there a section that tells upcoming scheduled things to do? 

I'm looking for something that I can keep info in as well as tell me if I need to check something or do something in the next couple days.

~Matt


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## dixiebooks (Jun 21, 2010)

Does anyone know if there is a way to use characters in the hive numbering? I use a system that includes the last two digits of the year the hive was started followed by a dash and then a 2-digit number. Thanks. -james


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