Swarm trap tracker that treats bait boxes as inventory, not a note
Most “beekeeping apps” log production hives and let you type “trap #4 empty” in a note. HiveFlow is the swarm trap tracking app that gives each bait box its own pin, visit history, and a one-tap conversion into a managed colony — on a map you can download for outyards with no signal.
Published by HiveFlow. This is a product page, not a roundup. For a multi-app table see the swarm-trap comparison guide. Features below are what the HiveFlow field workflow ships today.
Swarm season is a logistics problem. Boxes on fence lines, church lots, and outyards you drive past twice a week. A notebook does not route. A generic hive record does not convert. HiveTracks and Apiary Book will let you keep bees — they do not make the bait route the object.
HiveFlow registers each swarm trap as inventory: GPS pin, lure, last check, empty / scouts / occupied. When it catches, you convert the trap into a colony and keep the timeline. That is the feature people mean when they search swarm trap tracker, bait hive app, or best app for swarm traps.
Offline map regions matter here more than on a backyard patio. Traps sit where there is no cell. Download the tiles at home, then navigate pins with no signal. Inspections and check-ins queue until you are back on wifi.
The free plan is the field workflow: traps, map, calendar, harvests after a catch graduates. Android, iOS, and web, English / Portuguese / Spanish. If you only wanted BroodMinder BLE, that is HiveSense. If you only wanted the 2010 US brand, that is HiveTracks. If you run bait this spring, this is the page.
What you actually log
- Trap ID, GPS pin, lure (lemongrass, old comb, commercial).
- Check-ins: empty, scouts, occupied, date.
- Capture, then convert to colony — same record, not a blank hive.
- After graduation: inspections, feed, harvests on the new colony.
Want the multi-app table (HiveTracks, HiveBook, HiveLog AI, Apioly)? That lives on the swarm trap apps comparison. This URL is the product.
HiveFlow vs Typical hive notebook / generic app
| Need | HiveFlow | Typical hive notebook / generic app |
|---|---|---|
| Trap as its own object | First-class bait inventory | Note on a hive, or nothing |
| GPS pins + route between traps | Map + offline regions | Address in a notebook |
| Check-in history | Empty / scouts / occupied | Memory, or a dated photo |
| Capture → colony | Convert, keep the timeline | New hive, lost trap story |
| Android + iOS + web | Yes | Often phone-only |
| Free field plan | Yes — start without Pro | Paywall or 5-hive cap |
Use HiveFlow if
- You run more than two bait boxes and cannot keep them in your head.
- Traps sit in no-signal outyards and you need the map itself offline.
- You want capture history to become the new colony’s timeline.
- Someone in the operation uses Android or a browser, not only iPhone.
Questions people type next to swarm traps
- What is the best swarm trap tracking app in 2026?
- HiveFlow if you want bait hives as map inventory, check-ins, and trap-to-colony conversion on Android, iOS, and web. HiveTracks remains the US brand default for general hive records. HiveBook logs splits and swarms on iPhone only.
- Can HiveFlow track bait hives and production colonies together?
- Yes. Traps and managed hives share the same GPS map and account. Convert a catch without starting a blank hive record.
- Does the swarm trap tracker work offline?
- Inspections and trap check-ins queue offline. Download map regions before you leave home so the yard map is usable with no cell.
- Is the swarm trap tracker free?
- HiveFlow’s free field plan covers the trap-and-map workflow to start. Confirm current hive and trap caps on the store listing.
- HiveFlow vs HiveTracks for swarm traps?
- HiveTracks is the longer US hive-management brand. HiveFlow is the trap-first workflow: pins, lure, check-ins, convert to colony. Full write-up on the HiveTracks alternative page.