Stay organised at each hive
Log inspections with notes on brood, stores, queen status, temperament and actions taken. Quickly see when you last visited each hive.
Why Use a Beekeeping App?
Last updated: 31 August 2026
Many beekeepers start with notebooks, paper inspection sheets or spreadsheets. These can work well at first, but become difficult to manage as colonies, apiaries and inspection records grow.
A dedicated beekeeping app allows you to keep all hive records in one place, including inspections, apiaries, hive histories, queen records, tasks, treatments, feeding records and seasonal notes.
HiveTag was built specifically as a UK beekeeping records app, helping hobby and small-scale beekeepers move from paper records to simple digital record keeping.
Whether you are looking for a hive inspection app, apiary management software, a beekeeping logbook app or a better way to organise colony records, HiveTag brings everything together in one place.
Tired of Paper Hive Records?
Many beekeepers start with notebooks, scraps of paper or printed inspection sheets. The problem is that records become difficult to find when you need them most.
HiveTag keeps inspections, hive histories, apiaries, tasks and seasonal records together so you can quickly see what happened last week, last month or last season.
No more trying to remember whether a colony was queenless, when it was fed, when treatment was applied or which hive needed a follow-up inspection.
Why Beekeepers Are Moving From Paper Records to Digital Hive Records
Paper Notebook
Good: Simple and familiar.
Limitation: Finding old inspections, queen history and treatment records can become difficult as records grow.
Inspection Sheets
Good: Structured inspections and easy to print.
Limitation: Sheets can become separated, damaged or difficult to compare across multiple hives.
Spreadsheet
Good: Useful for data and calculations.
Limitation: Often awkward to use during hive inspections and difficult to access in the apiary.
HiveTag
Good: Keeps apiaries, hives, inspections, queen histories, tasks, seasonal guidance and colony health records together in one place.
Benefit: Quickly see what happened last week, last month or last season without searching through paperwork.
Beekeeping Software Designed for UK Beekeepers
HiveTag is more than a simple hive record book. It is a UK-focused beekeeping software platform designed to help hobby and small-scale beekeepers manage apiaries, hives, inspections, tasks and seasonal records from one place.
Many beekeepers begin with notebooks or spreadsheets, but as colonies grow it becomes increasingly difficult to track inspections, feeding, treatments, queen history and colony performance. HiveTag provides a structured apiary management software solution that keeps routine hive records, continuing queen histories and colony health information organised and accessible.
Whether you manage a single colony in your garden or multiple apiaries across different locations, HiveTag helps you maintain accurate records, monitor colony progress and plan future beekeeping activities.
It also works alongside the wider BeezKnees guidance library, including the Year in the Apiary, Step-by-Step Hive Inspections, Bee Health, UK Varroa Treatment Calendar and Hive Problems guides.
Apiary Management
Manage multiple apiaries and keep all records organised by location.
Hive Records
Track colony history, inspections, queen status, feeding and treatments.
Task Management
Create reminders and seasonal tasks so important jobs are not missed.
Digital Beekeeping Logbook
Replace paper records with searchable digital hive records accessible from anywhere.
What HiveTag helps you do
Keep better hive records
Log inspections with notes on brood, stores, queen status, temperament and actions taken so you can see what happened and what still needs doing.
Stay organised by apiary
Link tasks and to-dos to apiaries and hives, from feeding and treatments to equipment changes, follow-up checks and Premium seasonal actions.
Keep complete Queen Records
Premium users can maintain a continuing queen history for each colony, including introductions, splits, transfers, requeening and queen status changes.
Follow colony health over time
Hive Health brings together explainable health scores, trends, risks and recommended actions so changes are easier to spot between inspections.
Track costs and stock
Premium users can record inventory, sales and expenses so they can see what their beekeeping is really costing or earning over the season.
Use the Colony Health Check
Premium includes a Colony Health Check to guide what you record during inspections. It supports note-taking and follow-up, but it is not a diagnosis tool.
Asian Hornet Identification and Reporting Tools – Included Free
HiveTag includes an Asian Hornet Centre for all users on both the Free and Premium plans. It is designed to help UK beekeepers identify the Yellow-legged Asian Hornet (Vespa velutina), compare commonly confused species and keep a record of suspected sightings.
If you see something suspicious, you can create an observation, add photographs, review identification features and compare the insect with common lookalikes. HiveTag also reminds you when a suspected sighting still needs to be reported through the official reporting service.
Observations saved in HiveTag are private records and do not themselves constitute an official Asian Hornet report. Suspected sightings should still be submitted through the official UK reporting channels.
Identify Asian Hornets
Review the main identification features of the Yellow-legged Asian Hornet and use clear visual guidance while examining a suspected sighting.
Compare Common Lookalikes
Compare Asian Hornets with insects that are commonly mistaken for them, including the European Hornet, common wasp, giant woodwasp and hornet-mimic hoverfly.
Record Your Observations
Keep suspected sightings together in My Observations so photographs and observation details can be reviewed again when needed.
Official Reporting Reminder
HiveTag clearly shows when a suspected Asian Hornet observation still needs to be submitted through the official reporting service.
For detailed identification, safety advice and official reporting information, see our Asian Hornet UK identification and reporting guide. Do not disturb a suspected nest or attempt nest removal yourself.
Keep Complete Queen Records and Queen Histories
Queen information can become difficult to follow when colonies are split, requeened or moved between hives. HiveTag Premium includes dedicated Queen Records so the story of each queen does not disappear into old inspection notes.
Record queen introductions, status changes, splits, transfers and requeening events, then review the continuing history alongside the colony. This creates a clearer digital queen history when you need to understand what happened earlier in the season or across several generations of queens.
Build a continuing queen history
Keep previous and current queen information together instead of relying on scattered notebook entries or individual inspection notes.
Record important queen events
Log introductions, queen status changes, requeening and other key events so you can see when and why the colony changed.
Follow splits and transfers
When a queen moves with a split or is transferred to another hive, the history can follow the queen while the original colony record remains historically accurate.
Review before opening the hive
Check the queen record alongside recent colony information before an inspection so you know what you are expecting to find.
Looking for practical queen guidance as well as digital records? See the Swarm & Queen Guides and Queen Bee Development Timeline.
See Colony Health Trends with Hive Health
A single inspection only shows what you saw on one day. Hive Health is designed to help Premium users look across their recorded colony information and see how the picture is changing over time.
HiveTag presents explainable health scores, trends, risks and recommended actions, together with a dashboard overview and colony timeline. The aim is to make your own records easier to interpret and help you decide what deserves attention at the next inspection.
Explainable health scores
See a health view based on the information you record, with supporting detail rather than an unexplained number on its own.
Track trends between inspections
Review how colony indicators are moving over time instead of relying only on the most recent inspection.
Prioritise risks and actions
Use highlighted risks and recommended follow-up actions to help plan what needs attention next.
Keep the colony timeline in view
Bring recent health information and colony events together so changes have useful context.
Hive Health supports record keeping and beekeeper decision making; it is not a diagnosis service. For practical health information, use the Bee Health and Varroa Management guides.
New for Premium: Year in the Apiary seasonal guide
Premium members now get a built-in Year in the Apiary seasonal guide, giving month-by-month beekeeping guidance, practical checklists and full visual infographic guides inside HiveTag.
Know what to do each month
Open the Seasonal Guide, choose the current month and see the key jobs, risks and priorities for UK beekeeping.
Turn guidance into tasks
Seasonal actions can be turned into HiveTag tasks with one click, then linked to an apiary, hive or all hives.
Use full visual guides
Each month includes a branded infographic guide so Premium users can quickly review the season before planning their next apiary visit.
Built around the way you actually work in the apiary
HiveTag focuses on a few things done well rather than endless menus and settings. It is meant to support the way real beekeepers work in the field.
Know what needs doing – and where
Link tasks and to-dos to apiaries and hives so you can plan your next visit more easily.
Keep on top of costs
Premium users can track inventory items, expenses and sales so they can see what their beekeeping is really costing or earning.
Use Hive Health and Guided Checks
Premium adds Hive Health, the Colony Health Check, siting guides and the step-by-step inspection guide to help you understand recorded trends, capture observations and plan next steps more clearly.
How HiveTag fits into your season
The app is designed to be simple enough that you will actually use it after a long afternoon in the bees.
1
Create your account on the Free plan
Add your email, log in from any device and get started with 1 apiary and 2 hives.
2
Add your apiary and hives
Give each colony a clear home in the app so you know which hive is where and what is happening in it.
3
Record inspections and jobs
Log checks, feeding, treatments and observations while you are in the apiary or later when you are back indoors.
4
Plan with the Seasonal Guide on Premium
Use the Year in the Apiary guide to see monthly priorities, spot seasonal risks and turn actions into tasks.
5
Use Queen Records, Hive Health, finance and NFC tools on Premium
Premium adds continuing Queen Records and Hive Health alongside inventory, sales, expenses, profit-and-loss tools and optional NFC hive tags.
HiveTag works perfectly well without any additional hardware. Optional NFC hive tags are available as a Premium feature for faster access at the apiary.
Looking for a Free Beekeeping App?
If you are looking for a free beekeeping app, HiveTag lets you start keeping digital hive records without paying anything upfront. The Free plan includes one apiary, two hives, unlimited inspection records, tasks, logbook entries, weather tools, calendar access and the Asian Hornet Centre.
It is designed for new and hobby beekeepers who want a simple alternative to paper inspection sheets and spreadsheets. You can remain on the Free plan for as long as it suits you, then upgrade later if you need unlimited apiaries, Queen Records, Hive Health, reports, finance features or optional NFC hive tags.
Free first. Premium when you are ready.
Choose a plan that fits the way you keep bees
HiveTag is designed so you can start small and grow into more features when you need them – no pressure to upgrade.
Free Plan
£0 per month
Perfect for trying HiveTag properly with 1 apiary and 2 hives included.
- 1 active apiary
- Up to 2 active hives
- Unlimited inspection records
- Tasks and logbook entries
- Weather tools and seasonal notes
- Calendar view
- CSV data export from Settings
- Asian Hornet Centre with identification, lookalike comparisons, observations and reporting guidance
No credit card required.
Premium Plan
£4.99 / month
Everything in Free, without limits, plus Queen Records, Hive Health, advanced colony-management tools and optional NFC tap-to-log inspections.
- Unlimited apiaries and hives
- Hive Health with explainable health scores, trends, risks and recommended actions
- Queen Records with complete queen histories, introductions, splits, transfers, requeening and status changes
- Colony Health Check
- Apiary Siting Guide, Hive Siting Guide and step-by-step inspection guide
- Year in the Apiary seasonal guide with monthly actions and infographic guides
- Asian Hornet Centre with identification, lookalike comparisons, observations and reporting guidance
- Apiary Map Markers for forage, water, risk and access notes
- Reports & Exports, including printable reports and filtered CSVs
- Inventory, Sales, Expenses and Profit & Loss
- HiveTag NFC tap-to-log inspections
- NFC quick-select in New Inspection
- NFC dashboard summary and tagged hives list
Cancel anytime. All prices include VAT where applicable. NFC features require compatible devices and separately purchased tags.
You can stay on the Free plan for as long as you like. If your beekeeping grows and you want more headroom, you can upgrade securely through Stripe from inside the app.
Are you a member of a beekeeping association?
HiveTag works with UK beekeeping associations through the HiveTag Association Partner Programme. Participating associations can offer their members an exclusive discount on HiveTag Premium, while also helping to shape future development. Find out about the HiveTag Association Partner Programme.
Questions beekeepers often ask
Is the HiveTag Asian Hornet Centre free?
Yes. The Asian Hornet Centre is available to both Free and Premium HiveTag users. It includes identification guidance, lookalike comparisons, observations, photographs and links to official reporting information. Saving an observation in HiveTag does not itself submit an official Asian Hornet report.
Do I need any special hardware to use HiveTag?
No. HiveTag runs in a web browser on most modern phones, tablets and laptops. Optional NFC hive tags are available on the Premium plan.
Is HiveTag suitable for beginner beekeepers?
Yes. HiveTag is designed to make hive record keeping straightforward for beginners as well as more experienced beekeepers. The Free plan lets you start with one apiary and two hives, record inspections and manage tasks without needing specialist equipment or a paid subscription.
Does HiveTag include a bee disease checker?
Yes. HiveTag Premium includes a Colony Health Check that guides you through common symptoms so you can record what you observe during inspections.
Can HiveTag keep queen records and queen histories?
Yes. HiveTag Premium includes dedicated Queen Records so you can keep a continuing queen history, record introductions, splits, transfers, requeening and status changes, and retain that history as colonies change over time.
How does HiveTag help me monitor colony health?
HiveTag Premium includes Hive Health, which uses your recorded inspection information to show explainable health scores, trends, risks and recommended actions over time. It supports beekeeper decision making and does not replace diagnosis or professional advice.
Does HiveTag include seasonal beekeeping guidance?
Yes. HiveTag Premium includes the Year in the Apiary seasonal guide, with monthly UK beekeeping priorities, risks, infographic guides and one-click task creation.
Will HiveTag work outside South Wales?
Yes. Although it was built by a beekeeper in South Wales, HiveTag is designed for hobby and small-scale beekeepers anywhere in the UK.
Is my data tied to one device?
No. You can log in from any device with a browser and internet connection, so you can check hive notes at home or in the apiary.
Can I upgrade later?
Yes. You can stay on the Free plan for as long as you like and upgrade securely through Stripe later if your beekeeping grows.
Can I stop using HiveTag if it's not for me?
Of course. You can export or copy your key records at any time and cancel a paid plan if you decide it's not right for the way you keep bees.
Built by a beekeeper in South Wales
HiveTag comes from the same place as the main BeezKnees website – a hobby beekeeper in South Wales who wanted clearer records and less guesswork from one season to the next.
Whether you are running a single hive at the end of the garden or starting a small out-apiary, HiveTag is there to support your decision making, not replace it.
Want to know more about BeezKnees and the thinking behind the site? Read our About page.