Hive Inspection Record Card
Build a run of comparable inspections for one colony, so a failing hive can be told apart from a normal one by looking at the page rather than by memory.
BK-01 1 page
Livestock and smallholding · LK-42
Apiary Queen and Colony Register
A free printable queen record — origin, introduction date, marking colour, temperament, swarming and requeening, hive by hive.
Download Free · no sign-up
One page. Choose your paper size — both versions are laid out identically, so neither one gets shrunk to fit.
Print it and write on it
Fill it in type and save
The fillable versions have real form fields — open them in any PDF reader, type into them and save. Printing help.
What this sheet is for
Keep track of queen age and origin across an apiary, which explains most of what a colony does and is almost never written down.
Who it is for
Beekeepers with more than one hive, and anyone rearing their own queens.
How to use it
- Record the queen's origin and the date she was introduced.
- Note the marking colour — it is the fastest way to read her age at an inspection.
- Record temperament honestly; it is a legitimate reason to requeen.
- Count colonies in and out of winter. That figure is the year's real result.
What is on the sheet
One page, top to bottom:
Printed under the title: Every colony's queen — when she was introduced, how she is marked, and what the colony has done since.
Queen age explains most of it. Queen age explains most of what a colony does, and almost nobody writes it down. No requeening interval is printed: it depends on your bees, your climate and what you keep them for.
Write-on lines: Apiary · Beekeeper · Year
Table, 13 rows: Hive · Queen origin · Introduced · Marked colour · Clipped · Temperament · Swarmed · Requeened on · Notes
Write-on lines: Colonies going into winter · Coming out · Losses
Questions
How often should I requeen?
No interval is printed. It depends on your bees, your climate and whether you keep them for honey, increase or temperament. Your association and your own records are better guides than any general rule.
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