Commercial Beekeeping Software for Backyards and Full-Time Yards
Commercial beekeeping software is the place a yard records what it sells, who buys it, and which hives did the work. HiveFlow is that system for a backyard, a stingless-bee meliponary, a sideline honey stand, and a full-time operation. The field notes and the money live in one account on Android, iOS, and web.
This is the gap most “best beekeeping app” lists still describe as a hobby tool plus a separate spreadsheet. The commercial house is the part that closes it.
Who it is for
| How you keep bees | What you need in the app | HiveFlow plan |
|---|---|---|
| A few hives or a small meliponary | Map, inspections, bait boxes, timeline | Free: up to 8 colonies and 8 bait boxes |
| Sideline honey, nucs, or queens | Lots, customers, invoices, ledger | Free until you pass 8 colonies, then PRO |
| Several yards and a crew | Named yards, shared hives, roles | Team: 25 seats, bought in the app |
| Pollination alongside honey | Contracts, delivery counts, invoices | Same commercial house |
The free plan is enough to learn the workflow. PRO goes up to 100 colonies and 100 bait boxes. Team has no cap, replaces individual PRO, and includes 25 seats. Hives stay private until you share them.
What the commercial house tracks
The commercial house is what you sell and who you sell it to. Money that has already moved lives in the ledger.
- Yards. A yard is a place in the operation, such as North or the home yard. Map hives do not appear there on their own. You check which ones belong, then save once. An optional varroa threshold (3% is a common start) flags when a count passes the line you accept. You can export an inspection CSV for the house.
- Customers. Honey buyers and pollination clients. Only the name is required. Email, phone, and a tax ID (EIN, CPF, CNPJ, or NIF) are optional.
- Honey lots. Stock starts at harvest. A sale removes kilograms, can store moisture, and opens an invoice. Honey ready to bottle is usually under 20% moisture.
- Pollination. A contract to take hives to a crop. Details are in the pollination contract tracker.
- Invoices. What you are still owed. Receiving posts the income to the ledger. An issued invoice is not income until you get paid.
- Labor. Hours and an hourly rate become a ledger expense. The screen does not calculate payroll tax.
Treatment withholding still sits on the hive. An open treatment blocks a honey harvest until you remove it. A finished treatment blocks harvest until the clearance date. That rule is the same whether you sell two jars or two pallets.
A ledger that follows the yard
The ledger records money that actually moved. Categories cover honey, wax, propolis, pollen, royal jelly, nucs, queen sales, pollination, and other income or expense. A period filter changes the totals and the chart. Amber is money in. Black is money out. Season is a name, such as 2026. It does not create an entry by itself.
You can import a CSV (first line: date, kind, category, amount) and export the book. The step-by-step for lots and receivables is in honey business inventory and ledger.
Harvest charts still come from the yard visit. See honey production tracker.
A crew, when you need one
A team is the people who work your hives. Buyers stay in the commercial house.
- Owner invites and removes people.
- Field logs the work.
- Read only can look.
Each invite uses one of 25 seats. The person joins with the email on their HiveFlow account.
How it compares
| Job | HiveFlow | HiveTracks | Apiary Book | A spreadsheet |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inspections, map, offline | Yes, including downloadable map regions | Yes | Yes | No |
| Swarm traps as inventory | Yes | Partial | Partial | Manual |
| Stingless bees / meliponary | Yes | No | No | Manual |
| Honey lots, customers, invoices | Yes | Commercial tooling on Pro | Partial | Yes, if you maintain it |
| Pollination contracts | Crop, delivered hives, rate, invoice | Check their current Pro | Partial | Yes, if you maintain it |
| Shared crew | Team plan, 25 seats | Yes, on larger plans | Yes | Shared file |
| US brand since 2010 | Newer | Yes | Global brand, 19 languages | n/a |
| Price to start | Free up to 8 colonies and 8 baits | Free mobile; Pro is $6.99/month or $69.99/year | Free plan is 1 apiary and 9 hives | Free until it breaks |
HiveTracks remains the name many US clubs already use, and Pro dashboards have a longer commercial history. Stay there if that dashboard is already how the business runs. Choose HiveFlow when the same login should hold bait boxes, meliponary colonies, honey lots, pollination invoices, and a crew. The wider table is in best beekeeping app 2026.
What to set up first
- Pin the hives and bait boxes you already have. Offline map regions matter on yards with no signal. See offline beekeeping app.
- Name each yard and check the hives that live there.
- Add the people who buy honey or hire pollination.
- Log the next harvest so a lot exists before you sell.
- When a second person needs the same hives, buy the Team plan in the app and send the invite.
Start on the web: HiveFlow. Android: Google Play. iPhone: App Store.
Related guides
Frequently asked questions
- What is commercial beekeeping software?
- Commercial beekeeping software is the system a yard uses to know which hives sit where, what honey is still in stock, who owes money, and which pollination contract has been delivered. HiveFlow keeps that next to the inspection notes, on Android, iOS, and web.
- Can a hobby beekeeper use the same app as a commercial operation?
- Yes. HiveFlow is one account for a few stingless-bee boxes, a sideline honey stand, or a multi-yard operation. The free plan covers up to 8 colonies and 8 bait boxes. PRO goes up to 100 colonies and 100 bait boxes. Team has no cap and adds 25 seats so more than one person can work the hives.
- Does HiveFlow replace a spreadsheet for honey sales?
- For the sale itself, yes. A honey harvest creates a lot. Selling it removes kilograms, records an optional moisture reading, and opens an invoice. The ledger records income only when that invoice is paid. A spreadsheet still helps if you need a tax return your accountant already built.
- Does HiveFlow handle pollination contracts?
- Yes. You record the crop, how many hives were promised, how many were delivered, the rate per hive, and the dates. You invoice only after the delivery count is in. Receiving the payment posts income to the ledger.
- Is HiveFlow only for small meliponaries?
- No. Meliponaries and Apis mellifera yards share the same map, timeline, and commercial house. Scale is a plan choice: free up to 8 colonies and 8 baits, PRO above that, Team when a crew shares the work.
- What does HiveFlow not do for a commercial yard?
- It does not file your taxes, calculate payroll tax, sync to QuickBooks, or submit state inspection portals. Labor hours become a ledger expense. HiveTracks still has the longer US commercial brand, in market since 2010.