Knowledge for your apiary
How to Record Hive Inspections by Voice in Fluxabee
Before your next visit, you want to know what happened in each hive and what needs a follow-up. During the inspection, you need a convenient way to record observations. The Fluxabee Platform connects those steps in a mobile app: record your observations, review the AI report and update each colony’s history. Here are practical examples covering voice notes, queens, varroa photos and a shared apiary.
One voice note for several hives
First, select the correct apiary. In your recording, identify the hive numbers and separate shared observations from details about a particular colony. For example: “Hives 12 and 13 inspected, both colonies calm. Check the super on hive 12 in one week.” You do not have to end the recording after each hive. AI can distribute information from one recording across several hives and prepare a task for hive 12. Clear identifiers make it easier to check that each observation ends up in the right place.
From a recording to an approved report
When the recording has been processed, open the draft report. Review the observations, assigned hive numbers and task dates. In the example with hives 12 and 13, both colonies should receive the shared observation, while the super-check task should belong only to hive 12. Correct or reject any inaccurate items, then approve the changes you accept. The report then updates the relevant app records. The recording, AI draft and saved result are successive steps in the same inspection.
Check statuses and tasks before leaving
Before your next visit, start with the hive list, recorded statuses and tasks. If hive 12 is waiting for a super check, open its earlier notes to see why you planned it. The overview reflects information entered in the app, so it helps to record completed work and mark finished tasks as done. This habit lets you prepare a visit using the history of a particular colony, without having to reconstruct the previous inspection from memory.
Queen history linked to the hive
A queen’s record can include her year, line, breeder and marking. When replacing a queen, update the relevant record instead of leaving those details only in a general note. The history lets you revisit previous queens and recorded queen statuses. Before visiting hive 8, for example, you can check the current queen’s year, her breeder and the observations recorded after she was introduced. These details are available when you have entered them in the app.
A varroa photo as an inspection record
Add a photo of the monitoring board, check the AI markings and correct the result before saving it to the hive. Photo analysis depends on the owner account’s active plan. Scale does not include AI. The app checks photo requirements before analysis.
A shared apiary across several locations
Add locations such as “Orchard” and “Forest”, then assign the hives to them. Check the selected apiary and location before working, especially when managing several groups of colonies. You can invite someone who helps with the hives and choose a role for collaboration or viewing records. When that person visits “Forest”, they can consult the shared history and tasks instead of asking for a separate briefing. Permissions apply to the apiary; locations organise hives and do not create separate access groups.
Finding the queen with AI - the next step
Fluxabee is developing a feature to highlight the queen in your phone’s camera view. The detector remains an upcoming feature marked “Coming soon”. You can already record and contribute frame photos through the app to help train the model. Examples from real apiaries are annotated and used to develop bee recognition. The tutorial shows how to prepare and submit those photos. The detector is still in development.
Devices extend your work in the app
A phone is enough to get started. If you want to follow hive weight between visits, a Fluxabee scale adds measurements and charts to the same platform. Compare a weight change with the date of work recorded in the hive history, then plan a check. The upcoming voice recorder is being developed to make recording on a separate device and bringing recordings into the app easier. Choose devices for specific needs; history, tasks and reports remain your reference as you add extensions.
See the Fluxabee scale for hive-weight readings between visits.
Want to try this workflow? Explore the Fluxabee Platform’s features and current plans, then start by recording observations for one hive.