Good record keeping sits right behind your IPM strategy as one of the most important things you can do as a beekeeper. In this episode, Jeff sits down with Kyle, a web developer and beekeeper from the far north, to talk about APiLOG, a hive inspection tracking app built by a beekeeper for beekeepers. The full interview including a live demo is available on YouTube -- link in the description.

What's Inside This Episode:

• Why hive record keeping belongs right behind your IPM strategy in terms of importance
• How pen and paper notes fall short as your apiary grows
• The problem with bricks, wax markers, and other hive-top reminder systems
• How APiLOG uses voice recording to capture inspection notes naturally
• Swarm risk calculation and how weather patterns factor into the algorithm
• Automated regional task suggestions for new beekeepers
• Customizable inspection interval notifications by email
• How the built-in AI assistant uses your inspection history and local forecast
• Free tier available for up to two hives with full pro features
• Works across all devices including as a home screen app for push notifications

Why Listen to This Episode?

If your notes are scattered across notebooks, hive lids, and memory, this episode introduces a purpose-built solution from someone who felt the same frustration and built his way out of it.

Links and Resources:

🌐 APiLOG website: https://apilog.app

💰 Coupon code: BK4N for 60% off

🎥 Full interview and demo: https://youtu.be/aZ6z7Lpvw0U

📹 Alternative hive inspection logging method: https://youtu.be/DWdKMG-Wl-w

More Info:

🌐 https://beekeepingfornewbees.com

🔗 https://bestbeekeepinggear.com

📺 https://youtube.com/@beekeepingfornewbees

💬 https://discord.gg/XzkqFKrjMJ

🐝 https://thehealinghiveproject.org

☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/beekeepingfornewbees

About the Podcast: Beekeeping For Newbees is a top 1.5% podcast with over 700,000 downloads, helping new and experienced beekeepers grow stronger colonies and make smarter decisions through every season. Listen weekly for practical guidance, swarm stories, and honest takes on what works and what does not in real-world beekeeping.

Last week wrapped up Varroa Week, and two listeners took us up on the offer to submit topics for further elaboration. This episode honors both of them. We also have a hive report on Colony 61, a packed four-frame nuc that needed immediate expansion, plus a quick tip about prepping your gear before you actually need it. The new app is officially live: https://studio.com/beekeeper

What's Inside This Episode:

• Colony 61 hive inspection and emergency expansion from a four-frame to a five-frame nuc
• What happens when bees draw comb on your frame feeder and why you leave it alone
• A hard lesson on prepping equipment before you get to the bee yard
• Using masking tape as a temporary fix for misaligned hive body gaps
• How bear fences work and what components you actually need
• Why one joule or higher is the target for a food-motivated bear
• Grounding rods, wire types, poly wire vs. solid wire, and jumping your strands
• Fence charger mile ratings and how to account for multiple strands
• Why reversing boxes every spring is not a biological requirement
• How bees actually move through a hive from top to bottom and back again
• Encouraging comb drawing with a nectar flow and proper foundation placement
• The checkerboarding technique for honey supers and when not to use it

Why Listen to This Episode? If you are heading into swarm season and have questions about space management, protecting your apiary from bears, or which frames to grab when making a split, this episode covers all of it with real examples from the bee yard. Practical guidance, not theory.

More Info:

🌐 https://beekeepingfornewbees.com

🔗 https://bestbeekeepinggear.com

📺 https://youtube.com/@beekeepingfornewbees

💬 https://discord.gg/XzkqFKrjMJ

🐝 https://thehealinghiveproject.org

☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/beekeepingfornewbees

App link: https://studio.com/beekeeper

About the Podcast: Beekeeping For Newbees is a top 1.5% podcast with over 700,000 downloads, helping new and experienced beekeepers grow stronger colonies and make smarter decisions through every season. Listen weekly for practical guidance, swarm stories, and honest takes on what works and what does not in real-world beekeeping.

In this final episode of Varroa Week, we cover Norroa, a newer treatment approach designed to disrupt mite reproduction rather than kill mites directly. We also recap the week, talk through real-world cost and use considerations, and look ahead to the next round of spring episodes.

The new app is officially live: https://studio.com/beekeeper

What’s Inside This Episode:

• Colony 69 inspection report and removing the feeder for added brood space

• How to locate queens by reading eggs, larvae, and brood patterns

• Why queens shrink before swarming and enlarge during peak laying

• What Norroa is and how RNA interference targets mite reproduction

• Why Norroa is more preventive than curative

• Honey supers, application timing, and brood box dosage needs

• Real-world treatment costs and where Norroa may fit strategically

• Full Varroa Week recap and what topics are coming next

Why Listen to This Episode?

If you have heard the buzz around Norroa and want a practical explanation, this episode breaks it down clearly. It also helps tie together everything covered during Varroa Week.

More Info:

🌐 https://beekeepingfornewbees.com

🔗 https://bestbeekeepinggear.com

📺 https://youtube.com/@beekeepingfornewbees

💬 https://discord.gg/XzkqFKrjMJ

🫶 https://thehealinghiveproject.org

☕ https://buymeacoffee.com/beekeepingfornewbees

About the Podcast:

Beekeeping For Newbees is a top 1.5% podcast with over 700,000 downloads, helping new and experienced beekeepers grow stronger colonies and make smarter decisions through every season. Listen weekly for practical guidance, swarm stories, and honest takes on what works and what does not in real-world beekeeping.