Individual Colony Tracking

Hive management in Kora provides individual colony tracking. Unique hive identification. Hive type and bee species documentation. Comprehensive queen tracking. Colony strength assessment. Temperament monitoring. Physical structure recording. Each hive represents a distinct bee colony requiring individual attention for health, productivity, and management. Detailed hive records enable targeted interventions, performance comparison, and systematic colony management.

This section explains how individual hives are registered and managed. What hive information is tracked. How colony-level documentation supports productive beekeeping.

What is a Hive?

A hive in Kora represents an individual bee colony and its physical structure:

• Hive identification: Unique codes distinguishing hives within apiaries
• Hive type: Physical hive design (Langstroth, Top Bar, Warre, and others)
• Bee species: Which bees the colony contains (various honeybee races, stingless bees, etc.)
• Queen tracking: Queen status, age, performance, and requeening history
• Colony strength: Population size assessment (very weak to very strong)
• Temperament: Behavioural characteristics (very calm to aggressive)
• Physical structure: Number of supers, frames, and position within apiary
• Status: Active hives in operation, inactive hives retired or combined

Why individual hive tracking matters:

• Performance comparison: Identifying productive vs. struggling colonies
• Targeted management: Addressing specific hive issues without affecting entire apiary
• Queen performance: Documenting queen productivity and requeening schedules
• Colony dynamics: Monitoring strength changes over seasons
• Health surveillance: Detecting problems in specific hives early
• Production tracking: Linking honey harvests to individual colony productivity
• Breeding selection: Identifying colonies with desirable characteristics for queen rearing

Example hive record:

Hive: "MV-003"

Identification:
  Hive Code: MV-003 (Meadowview Apiary, Hive #3)
  Apiary: Meadowview Apiary
  Date Established: 2023-04-12

Physical Details:
  Hive Type: Langstroth (10-frame configuration)
  Bee Species: European honeybee (Apis mellifera mellifera)
  Number of Supers: 3 supers (1 brood chamber, 2 honey supers)
  Number of Frames: 30 frames total (10 per super)
  Hive Location: Row 2, Position 3 (southeast corner of apiary)

Queen Information:
  Queen Status: Marked (yellow mark indicating 2024 introduction)
  Queen Introduced: 2024-04-15 (requeened this spring)
  Queen Age: 6 months
  Queen Breed: Italian/Carniolan hybrid (VSH genetics)
  Performance: Excellent laying pattern, 8-9 frames of brood consistently.
              Calm temperament. Strong colony build-up post-introduction.

Colony Assessment:
  Colony Strength: Very Strong (60,000-70,000 bees estimated)
  Brood Pattern: Solid brood pattern, minimal skipped cells
  Colony Temperament: Calm (minimal defensive behaviour during inspections)
  Productivity: Top producer in apiary. Consistently fills supers faster.
                Strong candidate for split or queen rearing.

Current Status: Active (primary production hive)

Individual hive records create comprehensive colony histories supporting systematic management and performance tracking.

Hive Identification

Each hive receives a unique code for tracking:

Identification Methods:

• Sequential numbering: Simple numbers (1, 2, 3) or codes (H-001, H-002)
• Apiary prefix: Codes identifying apiary and hive (MV-001 = Meadowview Apiary, Hive 1)
• Location-based: Codes indicating row and position (R1-P3 = Row 1, Position 3)
• Descriptive: Names based on characteristics or queens

Example identification schemes:

Small Apiary (Single Location):
  Hives numbered sequentially: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Multi-Apiary Operation:
  Home Apiary: HOME-001, HOME-002, HOME-003
  Mountain Apiary: MTN-001, MTN-002, MTN-003
  Orchard Site: ORC-001, ORC-002, ORC-003
  (Apiary prefix prevents confusion across sites)

Physical Position Coding:
  Row-Position format: R1-P1, R1-P2, R1-P3, R2-P1, R2-P2
  (Reflects physical arrangement in apiary)

Combination Approach:
  MV-R2-003: Meadowview Apiary, Row 2, Hive 3
  (Combines apiary, position, and unique number)

Choose identification approach matching operational complexity. Simple numbers for small apiaries. Structured codes for multi-site operations.

Hive Types and Bee Species

Kora supports various hive designs and bee species:

Hive Types Supported: Langstroth (vertical frame configuration), Top Bar (horizontal top bars, natural comb), Warre (vertical but smaller than Langstroth), National (UK standard design), WBC (double-walled British design), Flow Hive (extractable honey frames), Observation Hive (glass-sided educational hives), Nuc (nucleus colony boxes), Traditional (log hives, skeps, indigenous designs), and other custom hive types.

Bee Species Supported: European honeybees (various races: Italian, Carniolan, Caucasian, German/European dark bee), Asian honeybees, giant honeybees, dwarf honeybees, stingless bees (Trigona species and related genera), and other bee species.

Example hive type/species combinations:

Standard Commercial Beekeeping:
  Hive Type: Langstroth (10-frame configuration)
  Bee Species: Italian honeybee (Apis mellifera ligustica)
  Rationale: Industry standard, interchangeable equipment, productive bees

Natural Beekeeping Approach:
  Hive Type: Top Bar Hive
  Bee Species: European dark bee (Apis mellifera mellifera - local genetics)
  Rationale: Natural comb building, foundationless frames, local bee adaptation

Conservation/Traditional Beekeeping:
  Hive Type: Traditional Log Hive
  Bee Species: Stingless bees (Trigona spp.)
  Rationale: Indigenous beekeeping practices, native species preservation

Educational Setting:
  Hive Type: Observation Hive (glass-sided)
  Bee Species: Gentle Italian bees
  Rationale: Safe for public viewing, calm temperament for education programs

Documenting hive type and species supports equipment compatibility and species-appropriate management.

Queen Tracking

Queen performance directly affects colony productivity and health:

Queen Information Tracked: Queen status (marked, unmarked, virgin, missing, failed, superseded, unknown). Queen introduced date. Queen age (months or years since introduction). Queen breed/genetics. Performance notes. Last requeen date.

Queen status categories:

Marked Queen:
  Queen identified with coloured paint dot on thorax
  Easy to spot during inspections, confirms queen presence quickly

Unmarked Queen:
  Queen present but not marked
  More difficult to locate, requires careful searching

Virgin Queen:
  Recently emerged queen not yet mated
  Temporary status during queen introduction or natural supersedure

Missing Queen:
  Queen not found during inspection
  May be present but not located, or genuinely absent

Failed Queen:
  Queen present but not laying adequately
  Spotty brood pattern, low population, poor productivity

Superseded Queen:
  Colony replaced queen naturally (created new queen while old queen present)
  Old queen may remain temporarily during transition

Queen status tracking alerts beekeepers to potential problems requiring intervention.

Example queen management record:

Hive: "MV-007" - Queen Management History

Original Queen (2022-2023):
  Introduced: 2022-05-10 (package bee queen)
  Breed: Italian honeybee
  Performance: Good first season, strong build-up, productive
  Status Change: Failed (September 2023 - spotty brood pattern observed)

Requeening 1 (2023):
  New Queen Introduced: 2023-09-20
  Source: Local breeder, VSH genetics (Varroa Sensitive Hygiene)
  Marking: Yellow dot (2024 cohort marking)
  Introduction Method: Candy release cage (3-day acceptance period)
  Acceptance: Successful (queen laying by 2023-10-05)

Current Queen Performance (2024):
  Queen Age: 8 months
  Status: Marked (yellow dot visible, located easily)
  Laying Pattern: Excellent - solid brood coverage, minimal skipped cells
  Colony Temperament: Calm (improved from previous more defensive queen)
  Population: Strong (queen maintaining large population through season)
  Performance Notes: VSH genetics appear effective. Low mite counts without
                      treatment. Colony consistently productive.

Next Requeen Planned: 2026 (assuming continued good performance)

Detailed queen records support requeening decisions and genetic improvement strategies.

Colony Strength Assessment

Colony strength indicates population size and productivity potential:

Strength Classifications:

• Very Weak: Minimal population, struggling colony, survival concerns
• Weak: Below average population, limited productivity, intervention needed
• Medium: Average colony, adequate population, standard productivity
• Strong: Above average population, good productivity, healthy colony
• Very Strong: Maximum population, excellent productivity, swarm risk, split candidate

Example strength indicators:

Very Weak Colony:
  Population: Covering 1-3 frames
  Management: Consider combining with stronger colony or requeening

Weak Colony:
  Population: Covering 3-5 frames
  Management: Feed, monitor queen performance, assess for disease/pests

Medium Colony:
  Population: Covering 6-8 frames
  Management: Routine care, monitor for growth

Strong Colony:
  Population: Covering 9-12 frames
  Management: Add supers as needed, monitor for swarm preparation

Very Strong Colony:
  Population: Covering all available frames, bees spilling out of hive
  Management: SWARM RISK - immediate action needed (split, add supers,
              swarm prevention)

Strength assessment guides management decisions. Feeding weak colonies. Adding equipment to strong colonies. Preventing swarms in very strong colonies.

Colony Temperament

Temperament tracking documents behavioural characteristics:

Temperament Classifications:

• Very Calm: Extremely gentle, minimal defensive behaviour, easy to work
• Calm: Normal gentle behaviour, standard beekeeping practices sufficient
• Moderate: Some defensive behaviour, smoker use recommended
• Defensive: Heightened defensiveness, protective equipment essential
• Aggressive: Excessive stinging behaviour, difficult to manage, requeening recommended

Temperament factors:

Very Calm / Calm Colonies:
  Characteristics: Remain on combs during inspection. Minimal flying when
                   hive opened. Few stings even without smoke.
  Management Benefits: Safer for apiary location near people. Easier for
                       beginning beekeepers.
  Breeding Value: Desirable genetics for queen rearing

Defensive / Aggressive Colonies:
  Characteristics: Bees leave combs in large numbers when hive opened.
                   Follow beekeeper, attempt to sting persistently.
  Management Actions:
    - Requeen with gentle genetics
    - Move apiary if location problematic (near homes, livestock)
    - Enhanced protective equipment
    - Time inspections carefully (calm weather, mid-day)
  Breeding Considerations: DO NOT use for queen rearing

Temperament documentation supports apiary location decisions, requeening priorities, and colony selection for queen breeding.

Physical Structure Tracking

Recording hive physical configuration supports equipment management:

Structure Information: Number of supers (stacked boxes in hive). Number of frames (total frames across all supers). Hive location (position within apiary, row, stand number, orientation).

Example structure documentation:

Early Spring Configuration (March):
  Supers: 1 (brood chamber only, cluster still small)
  Frames: 10 frames (8 frames with bees, 2 outer frames empty)

Late Spring Build-Up (May):
  Supers: 2 (brood chamber + 1 honey super)
  Frames: 20 frames (10 per super)

Summer Honey Flow (July):
  Supers: 4 (brood chamber + 3 honey supers)
  Frames: 40 frames

Post-Harvest Fall (October):
  Supers: 2 (brood chamber + 1 super for winter stores)
  Frames: 20 frames

Winter Configuration (December):
  Supers: 2 (unchanged from fall)
  Frames: 20 frames (cluster on ~8-10 frames)

Structure tracking documents equipment changes over seasons and supports inventory management.

Active and Inactive Hives

Hive status tracks whether colonies are currently managed:

Status Transitions:

Active Hive → Inactive (Colony Loss):
  Hive: MV-009
  Inactive Date: 2024-02-15
  Reason: Winter loss. Colony did not survive winter despite adequate stores.
          Likely queen failure in late fall.

Active Hive → Inactive (Combined):
  Hive: MV-012 (Weak Colony)
  Inactive Date: 2024-04-20
  Reason: Combined with MV-006 (strong colony). Weak colony not rebuilding
          adequately. Combining increased MV-006 population.

Active Hive → Inactive (Sold):
  Hive: HOME-015
  Inactive Date: 2024-05-10
  Reason: Sold as established colony to new beekeeper.

Inactive → Active (Re-established):
  Hive: MV-009 (Previously winter loss)
  Reactivated: 2024-05-01
  Reason: New package installed in equipment from lost colony. Hive code
          reused for continuity in apiary positioning.

Status management maintains accurate active hive counts without deleting historical records.

Integration with Inspections and Production

Individual hive records connect to management activities:

Hive → Inspection Relationship:

Hive: MV-003
  └── Inspections:
      ├── 2024-06-15: Routine inspection (colony strong, 8 frames brood)
      ├── 2024-06-29: Pre-harvest inspection (supers nearly full)
      ├── 2024-07-13: Post-harvest inspection (removed 2 supers)
      └── 2024-07-27: Routine inspection (colony rebuilding after harvest)

Hive → Honey Harvest Relationship:

Hive: MV-003
  └── Honey Harvests:
      ├── 2024-07-10: 32kg (2 supers harvested, light amber honey)
      ├── 2024-08-25: 18kg (1 super harvested, wildflower honey)
      └── Season Total: 50kg from this hive (above apiary average of 35kg/hive)

Hive records provide foundation for inspection histories, production tracking, and management decision documentation.