Questions & answers

Yes - free to use, with no card needed. Bees Knees Apiary is built and run by a beekeeper, and growing the community matters more than charging for it. If that ever changes - say, ads or optional extras to keep the lights on - everything you’ve recorded stays yours and exportable. You’ll never find your own records behind a paywall.

Your data is never held hostage. You can export everything, any time, from Settings - and the mobile app keeps a full copy of your records on your own device. If the service were ever to wind down, you’d get plenty of notice to take your records with you.

Yes - this is a big part of why Bees Knees Apiary exists. It keeps the Veterinary Medicines Record the law requires (5 years, print-ready for a bee inspector), prompts you that foulbrood is notifiable and varroa is reportable via BeeBase, and includes an Asian hornet sighting log with the official reporting routes.

Yes - Bees Knees Apiary runs on the web and is free on the App Store (Android coming soon). Your records sync across all your devices automatically.

Not on iPhone - the app has a “continue without an account” mode, so you can try everything first. Create a free account whenever you want your records backed up and synced.

Yes. The app is offline-first: you can do full inspections with no connection, and everything syncs when you’re back in range.

Inspection records cover what UK beekeepers are taught to check - strength, stores, brood, queen status, varroa and disease signs - in line with recognised UK best practice.

Your records are yours. Data is sent securely, you can export everything at any time, and you can delete your account (and all its data) yourself - you’re never locked in. See our privacy policy.

Yes - add as many apiaries and hives as you keep, each with its own location, map and records.

Absolutely. See our switching guide for the easiest way to start.

Any time, yourself - in Account → Delete account on the web or in the app. It removes your account and associated data.