Appi Bee Services

It's ideal for solo beekeepers running several hundred hives or hobbyists with just a handful. It can also support larger commercial operations (see FAQ below).

We appreciate that folks keep bees for different reasons and there's a variety of different philosophies and approaches.

HiveSmart^HQ supports the end-to-end business processes from maintaining hives through to the sale of honey and/or hives.

In short, using it provides the information needed to save time and improve the productivity of your hives.

The app runs on smartphones and tablets including Apple iPhones, iPads, iPods as well as Android devices. Specifically:

Apple: iOS version 9+

Android*: From Version 5.0+ (Lollipop)
* For devices with ARM processors only. If the app does not operate on your Android device please let us know.
NOTE: Older or low-end devices usually have lower performance and are less responsive to touch.

Yes! We've been able to install and use it through an Android emulator such as BlueStacks (available at https://www.bluestacks.com/)

Your computer will need to meet the system requirements of the emulator and you'll need a Google account to access the Google PlayStore to install HiveSmart^HQ. (Performance within an emulator is dependent on many factors including the computer hardware and other software installed.)

If you're only going to use HiveSmart^HQ on a computer*, you may find our Forms useful when out in the field - Service, Collections and Extraction Forms are available on our Tips page for printing.

If you have HiveSmart^HQ on a mobile device too, you can transfer the data between the device and the computer. Use Transfer Data (via App Options and Settings) to Upload from one and then Download on the other.

Using HiveSmart^HQ via BlueStacks

BlueStacks normally runs apps in landscape mode and for HiveSmart^HQ we'd recommend changing the default BlueStacks display resolution to at least 1920x1080 (from 1280x720).
(To do this: Tap the gear icon in the BlueStacks menu bar, select Settings / Display and choose the resolution. Then "Restart Now" to reopen BlueStacks with the new resolution.)

* NOTES: Running HiveSmart^HQ through an emulator has some limitations. Depending on the emulator used and other apps installed, some HiveSmart^HQ features may not work, including:

• The option to include Seasonal Checklist items and Action Items from HiveSmart^HQ in the device Calendar.
• Registering your email with HiveSmart^HQ News. (This can be done via our Support form here)
• Printing to a printer and/or accessing saved PDF versions of "printed" reports.
• Exporting Service data in the multi-Tool via Hive Management.
• The option to map a new location may not work as expected in Hive Locations.

Declaration: We have no connection with BlueStacks or the parties behind this product. The use of an emulator is only mentioned as an option for our Customers to consider. Various Android emulator options can be found via an online search.

Enhanced security in more recent versions of Android means apps are required to request permission to be able to use certain device features. The table below shows the permissions related to features in HiveSmart^HQ. We use these ethically and with full transparency - we're happy to leave the dodgy stuff to others...

Anywhere! HiveSmart^HQ is designed for on-site use on an Apple or Android smartphone or tablet. It works even in very remote locations with no phone/data coverage! (It can do this because it keeps the data on your device rather than requiring a constant internet connection.)

However, we also know some folk prefer not to actively use their device in the field so we've got that covered too - use our forms while in the field and update your device later. Service and Extraction Forms are available on our Tips page.

Note: A couple of features do require Internet access at the time you wish to use them (e.g. Location mapping, Transfer data) and these are flagged in the app.

1. In HiveSmart^HQ use the Transfer Data:Upload Database feature regularly. (Find this in App Options & Settings.)
2. Setup your device so that it performs automatic backups to the cloud (this is an option for both Apple and Android devices). This will include all HiveSmart^HQ data & settings - along with all your other app and device settings.

Yes. There are currently two alternatives (recognising that HiveSmart^HQ stores data on the device):

1. Recommended: Use a single (central) device with HiveSmart^HQ to capture operation-wide data using printed Forms to capture the on-site information. Service, Collections and Extraction Forms are available on our Tips page.
2. Alternatively, assign a device for a specific location (or group of locations) to capture the Hive Management data and a separate device specific to the Extraction, Inventory & Sales processes. In this setup, it's not currently possible to track Extraction progress against Harvested boxes or produce operation-wide Views

And if you're an employed beekeeper, you can use it for just the Hives and Locations that you look after.

NOTE: A key element of the development roadmap for HiveSmart^HQ is a version that specifically supports large commercial operators (e.g. allowing simultaneous information updates from multiple beekeepers working at different locations and/or honey extraction). Stay tuned for updates...

It requires a whole lot of nothing to get going...

HiveSmart^HQ is free to download and you can add as many Locations and Hives as you wish and more than 100 Services/Inspections for free.

That's about a years worth of inspections for 5 Hives, or ~5 years for 1 hive (based on ~20 inspections per hive per year*).

In the US, it's just $0.07 per Service after that (i.e. approx. $1.50 per hive per year - local pricing of course depends on the currency that your local app store uses, and the foreign exchange rate with the US dollar applied by the app store).

The app uses Service Credits: The first inspection recorded for each Hive is free while each subsequent one "consumes" 1 credit. The initial installation includes 100 credits with no time limit on their use.

Various-sized bundles of Service Credits (30, 60, 100) can be purchased from within the app when needed to top up the Service Credit balance. In the US a bundle of 30 Service Credits is just $1.99. The right bundle size for you will depend on how many Hives you operate and how frequently you inspect your Hives*.

Even if the Service Credit balance reaches 0, all features can continue to be used apart from adding more inspections.

The feedback from beekeepers using the app is that HiveSmart^HQ significantly improves day-to-day efficiency, provides valuable information that helps manage your hives - including the "source-of-origin" records increasingly required in today's food-production world.

Service Credits are used so that we can keep the app free of advertising - i.e. by not including advertising, it means that some other revenue source is required to fund the costs of ongoing development and support.

* Situations may vary depending on the number of Hives being supported, beekeeping style and extent of winter hibernation in your region.

Note: As well as the 15% fee currently charged by Apple & 30% by Google on all purchases through the app, we pay our share of taxes as a responsible corporate citizen. This includes applicable Sales taxes, as well as Corporate tax at 28%.

That's easy - our usage-based approach using Service Credits is fairer. (See FAQ above that explains Service Credits). Why this is fairer than subscriptions requires some explanation so bear with us...

Firstly, the App stores control the way in which products can be offered. If we offered a subscription it has to be done by time (e.g. 12 months) and/or defined groups (e.g. the number of Hives) such as 1-10 Hives, 11-20 Hives and so on. However, grouping like this means that someone with say 11 hives would be paying the same as someone with 20 hives... which just doesn't seem right to us.

Futhermore, subscriptions also stay the same regardless of the season - even when things are quiet over winter and you may use the app less, so a time-based approach is also unfair. We also know that there's also significant variation in how frequently individual beekeepers like to inspect their hives.

All this points toward the number of Services (inspections) being the most equitable way to base any pricing.

By not using subscriptions, it means we're able to ensure you'll always have access to your data via the app, even if you decide to not use it for a while.

Finally, using Service Credits allows for continued access to the other features such as Collections, the Equipment Inventory, Action Items, KnowledgeBase and Seasonal Checklists (even if the Service Credit balance reaches 0).

Nope. No "stings" attached here: it's obligation free - HiveSmart^HQ does not require any personally identifiable information to use the app nor does it access any of your personal info on your device.

Please view our Privacy Policy for more details.

Nope. The data is yours and is not shared with, or provided to any third party. Please view our Privacy Policy for more details.

Good question. If you've got more than 10,000 Locations (apiaries) then yes - we're so sorry!

If you've got more than a million Hives, then yes - apologies again, it just can't handle 1,000,001.

On the other hand, it is completely unlimited in terms of the number of Services (inspections) so you can add as many as you need.

It's not a biggie - we just appreciate that beekeepers do more than just observe when they visit their Hives.

"Services" just seems to better reflect all of the activities and effort involved in taking care of your bees.

Yep, you sure can. On the device that you last updated HiveSmart^HQ simply use the Transfer Data/Upload feature (available via App Options & Settings on the menu) to copy your latest dataset to the cloud. Then, on another device that has HiveSmart^HQ installed, use the Transfer Data/Download feature to copy that latest dataset from the cloud.

The trick is to remember which device you last used when adding the latest data.

There are four options currently provided:

1. Follow our Facebook page (@HiveSmartHQ)
2. Check our Tips page for the Latest News (plus more)
3. Register your email address with us via the app using News Registration (via App Options & Settings).
4. Contact us via one of the options in the Support section below and ask for your email address to be added to our list for HiveSmart^HQ News.