Inspections & Health¶
Regular hive inspections are essential for monitoring colony health. Bifolk helps you record detailed observations, track health status changes over time, and estimate harvest yields.
Target Audience: Beekeepers performing hive inspections
Inspection List¶
Navigate to Hives and then Inspections to see all inspection records. The list shows 20 inspections per page and respects your current organization selection.
Filtering¶
Use the filter panel to narrow down the inspection list:
- Organization -- Show inspections from a specific organization (or all)
- Hive -- Filter by a specific hive
- Date Range -- Set start and end dates to limit the time period
- Queen Seen -- Filter by whether the queen was sighted (Yes / No / All)
- Health Status -- Filter by the hive health status recorded during the inspection
Sorting¶
Click a column header to sort the list. You can sort by:
- Inspection date
- Hive name
- Queen seen
- Hive health status
- Temperament
Click the same column again to reverse the sort order.
Creating an Inspection¶
There are two ways to start a new inspection:
- From a hive's detail page -- Click New Inspection on the hive's detail page. The hive will be pre-selected for you.
- From the inspection list -- Navigate to Hives > Inspections and click New Inspection. You will need to select the hive manually.
Fill in the inspection form and click Save. The inspector is automatically set to your user account.
Save and Create Next¶
When creating a new inspection, a Save and create next button is available alongside the regular Save button. This saves the current inspection and immediately opens a new blank inspection form with the same inspection date pre-filled -- useful when inspecting multiple hives in a single session.
General Information¶
| Field | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
| Hive | The hive being inspected | Yes |
| Inspection Date | When the inspection took place (defaults to today) | Yes |
Colony Assessment¶
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Queen Seen | Whether the queen was observed |
| Eggs Seen | Whether eggs were visible |
| Approximate Bee Count | Estimated number of bees in the colony |
| Temperament | Colony behavior during the inspection (e.g., calm, moderate, aggressive) |
| Drone Presence | Level of drone activity observed (optional) |
Chamber Tracking¶
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Brood Chamber Count | Number of brood chambers on the hive |
| Honey Chamber Count | Number of honey supers on the hive |
| Hive Weight (kg) | Total hive weight in kilograms |
Tip
Recording brood and honey chamber counts together with the total hive weight enables the harvest estimation feature. The system calculates estimated harvest weight using the configured chamber weights for the hive's style.
Health Assessment¶
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Hive Health Status | Set a new health status for the hive (leave as "No change" to keep the current status) |
| Queen Health Status | Set a new health status for the queen (leave as "No change" to keep the current status) |
| Signs of Disease | Check if disease symptoms were observed |
| Disease Notes | Details about disease observations |
| Pests Observed | Check if pests were found |
| Pest Notes | Details about pest observations |
Additional Information¶
| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| Weather Conditions | Weather during the inspection |
| Cost | Cost associated with this inspection (in euros) |
| Notes | Detailed observations and general notes |
Viewing an Inspection¶
Click on any inspection in the list to see its full details. The detail page shows:
- All recorded observation fields
- Hive metrics (weight, bee count, estimated harvest)
- A sidebar with hive information and current health status
- Record metadata (organization, inspector, dates)
- Quick action links to view the hive or create a new inspection
Editing an Inspection¶
- Go to the inspection detail page
- Click Edit
- Update the desired fields
- Click Save
Note
You cannot change the hive assignment when editing an existing inspection. If you selected the wrong hive, delete the inspection and create a new one.
Permissions¶
- Members can edit inspections they created
- Admins and Owners can edit all inspections within the organization
Deleting an Inspection¶
- Go to the inspection detail page
- Click Delete
- Confirm the deletion
Only Admins and Owners can delete inspections.
Warning
Deleting an inspection does not revert any health status changes that were triggered by that inspection. The health status change records remain in the history.
Health Status Updates¶
Health statuses for hives and queens can only be changed through inspections (not by editing the hive or queen directly). When you set a Hive Health Status or Queen Health Status during an inspection, the system automatically:
- Updates the hive's or queen's current health status
- Creates a health status change record that links back to the inspection
- Records who made the change (the inspector)
Leave the health status fields set to "No change" if you do not want to update the status during that inspection.
Harvest Estimation¶
When you record brood and honey chamber counts along with the total hive weight, Bifolk calculates an estimated harvest:
Estimated Harvest = Total Weight
- (Brood Chambers x Brood Chamber Weight)
- (Honey Chambers x Honey Chamber Weight)
- (Honey Chambers x Honeycomb Weight)
The brood chamber weight, honey chamber weight, and honeycomb weight are determined by the hive's configured style (e.g., Langstroth, Dadant). If these weights are not configured for the hive style, the estimation will not be available.
The estimated harvest appears on the inspection detail page.
Tip
Ask your organization administrator to configure chamber weights for each hive style under System Configuration > Hive Style to enable harvest estimation.
Health Changes Report¶
The health changes report provides a combined timeline of all health-related events across your hives. Access it from Reports > Health Changes.
The report shows three types of events in a unified timeline:
- Hive health status changes -- When a hive's health status was updated through an inspection
- Queen health status changes -- When a queen's health status was updated through an inspection
- Inspections with health issues -- Inspections where disease, pests, or aggressive temperament were recorded
Filtering the Report¶
- Date Range -- Limit events to a specific time period
- Hives -- Select specific hives to compare (multi-select)
- Include Inspection Observations -- Toggle whether to show inspections with health issues alongside status changes
Report Contents¶
The report includes:
- Summary statistics (hives monitored, total changes, inspections with issues)
- Current health status distribution across all hives
- Per-hive summaries showing change counts and last inspection
- A visual timeline of all health events
- Health trend charts for up to 5 hives
Hive Metrics Dashboard¶
The hive metrics dashboard shows weight and chamber count trends over time. Access it from Reports > Metrics.
The dashboard uses data from inspections where hive weight was recorded and includes:
- Summary statistics (average, minimum, and maximum weights)
- Per-hive breakdown with latest measurements
- Monthly trend charts for average weight and chamber counts
- Per-hive weight trend lines (up to 5 hives)
- Seasonal harvest forecasts based on weight gain patterns
Filtering the Dashboard¶
- Date Range -- Set the time period for trend analysis
- Hives -- Select specific hives to track (leave empty for all hives)
What's Next¶
- Hive Management -- Managing your hives
- Queen Management -- Track queens and lineage
- Beekeeping Operations -- Record feeding, treatments, and maintenance