Two ways to keep bees
- Honey bees: a managed hive for honey and pollination. It is a real commitment (equipment, inspections, varroa mite management, local rules), so take a class and join a local club first.
- Native bees: mason bees, leafcutters and the hundreds of US native species are superb pollinators and need almost nothing but flowers, nesting habitat and no pesticides.
Garden for bees
- Plant a long season of flowers (see flowers in the library): alyssum, cosmos, zinnia, sunflower, borage, salvias.
- Leave some bare ground and hollow stems for native nesters; add a bee hotel.
- Provide a shallow water source with landing stones.
- Avoid insecticides, especially on blooming plants, and spray only in the evening if you must.
What the Bees module does
Set up each hive and the app keeps your full history: guided inspections so you do not miss a check, honey harvest records, and treatment tracking for varroa and other issues, all timed to the US beekeeping season. The Bloom Calendar sits alongside so you can see what is flowering for forage, month by month.
Why it is better
Bees punish a gap in attention. A structured record keeps you on schedule.
- Guided inspections. A prompt for what to check each visit, so nothing important gets skipped.
- Built on the US calendar. Timing for splits, treatments and harvests fits the American beekeeping year.
- Forage in view. The Bloom Calendar shows nectar gaps so you can plant to fill them.
- Works offline. Log right at the hive, no signal needed.
How to use it in three steps
Add a hive
Set up each colony so the app can track its history and reminders.
Log each inspection
Record what you saw and did. The guided checklist keeps you thorough.
Track honey and health
Note harvests and treatments, and watch each hive's strength over the season.
How it connects
Bees do not work alone, and neither does the module.
- Strong hives lift pollination across your beds, so squash, cucumbers, melons and fruit yield more.
- The Bloom Calendar ties into your garden so you can plant for a steady nectar flow.
- It all feeds into the bigger picture. See how it all connects.
Varroa: monitor, treat, plant
Three free tools and guides to keep mites in check:
- Varroa Mite Calculator & Tracker — turn a wash count into a clear verdict, with rotation and re-check reminders.
- Varroa treatment & monitoring guide — what works, where resistance is spreading, and how to check your hives.
- Bee-friendly planting — feed colonies so they can withstand varroa and viruses.
Run a healthier apiary.
Free to start, works offline, and built for your US region.