Bill "Don't think this would work because it's a blue tooth device and you would have to be in range which is a matter of 100ft or less.  Jerry has lots of other suggestions that have more range."

Cam Bishop - Trackr " This might be a good way track your hives."


 Cam - sorry, but BIll is right, these are blue tooth with 100 ft range.  The supposedly low price is actually a high price for a device that has such a short range.


Claims of finding anything anywhere other than your keys in your own house with these tags are based on the  unrealistic idea that a Community of users is walking around with the app installed on their Smart Phone, the tracking app running, their Phone and Blue Tooth turned on. 


IF someone with the app on gets within 100 ft of your hive, a point will show up on the apps map.   This might work on a high school playground where a lot of kids do this for fun.  It might work in an urban area where neighbors turn on the app to find their keys.  But to track a beehive - not much chance.   


I tried one of these - it knows my key are somewhere in the  area of my house and yard - the GPS point is somewhere around the middle of the street.  If I ping the device from my phone - a tinny sound is emitted - one that's hard for old ears to hear.  And, you could, as they suggest, put one on your phone - except calling your phone provides a much louder sound to follow, and most phones can be tracked by apps available from the manufacturer.



IF you really want to track hives - go to the webinar that I did with Kim Flottum and James Tewe in December:  http://www.beeculture.com/kimandjimshow/
The title of my talk is The Future is Now.   I think that you have to register to view the ~ 1 hr webinar.  Approximately half of my presentation is on hive tracking, asset marking, hive inventory options.  My objective is to provide guidance so that people stop wasting money buying the wrong devices or systems.


I cover the available options, pros and cons, costs of the tried and proven devices and systems.  


After the webinar, I found a new system that has just been released in US in addition to one that I know about from Canada.


I have not been provided with examples of these systems to test and compare to the systems that I review in the webinar.. 


However, beware of sales people advertising that they have the best, the cheapest, or the custom design Beehive Tracker or one that has been newly released,and especially if they claim 5 YEARS battery or Satellite TRACKING.  


Their devices may be just fine - but until they are proven by real beekeepers in real hives.  Their claims may be the same marketing trap as this Blue Tooth device. The ads are very carefully worded to deceive the user.  Under ideal conditions, they can meet their claims.  The fine print admits to the 100 ft range.


There are four major claims that one has to carefully review:  1) Battery life, 2) GPS tracking, 3) Beehive Tracker, 4) Device price.


For example, 1) a claim of battery life of 3-5 years may or may not be true.  Most likely, it  means if your hive never moves, the device stays asleep, and it is using very little battery power. Under those conditions, the battery may last a few years.   If you move your hives a lot, the tracker is going to send out messages, using battery power.  If you want lots of reports, battery life is shortened.  Battery life is also a function of size.


If the device is especially small, you can assume short battery life.  For example, most of the small GPS trackers that can be bought in Sporting Goods Stores claim a year or more battery life.  The salesman who used the one I bought for testing admitted that he used one when on trail maintenance crews - marking the trail's intersections, turns, etc.  He changed the battery every six weeks, and he was using the higher price, long-battery-life pro tracker.


2) GPS tracking may mean nothing more than the unit uses GPS to find it's location (that's a simple or simplex  download of  location information to the device from the Satellite).  The device may not use Satellite to actually track a moving truck with your  stolen hive.  To save money, it may be using cell towers, which works well along most major highways and in urban areas but not in rural areas with no  cell service.  A true GPS unit not only finds the location  using satellite, but also uploads and send tracking information to you via satellite.  Uploading information to a satellite entails a much better unit, costs more, and uses more battery power.  Do not assume the GPS means duplex (two-way) communications.  If you have hives in rural areas, especially in western states, you need true satellite tracking service.  In more urban areas or near major highways, cellular units may work as well or better. 



3) Bee Hive Tracker  -  I'm seeing some new products with attractive packaging and claims.  Bottom line, no one needs to produce a one-off custom tracker for beehives.  The trucking industry and the goods that are shipped by truck and rail use mature asset marking  and tracking systems that have been in use for years.  Their devices are tested and proven in actual use.  The reporting software is mature.  Their units are the BEST AVAILABLE.  Their ads tend to be more honest. Their systems either use cellular or satellite or a hybrid satellite-cellular communications.  


Of the Bee Hive trackers recently on the market - many tend to be larger (harder to hide) than existing proven devices or higher cost (which is a reflection of a smaller, niche market) or unproven for actual long-term use in a beehive


One group that has a tracker to 'hide' in the end of a frame.  It sticks out right where one would use a hive tool and it looks like it has parts (from photo) that are likely to  be prone to damage from moisture or hive tools.  The reported price is high.  The form factor is admittedly small.


I've a 25 cent RFID tag that does the same for frame marking and hides under the comb - but mine admittedly is only  good for hive ID from a few feet - it's not a true tracker.


One of the newest bee hive tracking services claims they have the best device (a meaningless claim unless supported by actual testing),  5 year battery,  and that their product is being used in almonds now.  When questioned, the 5 year battery is again, only under best conditions, little use.  The size is rather big for hiding in a beehive.  But, they have an interesting marketing approach, you get a device and communications service for a set monthly fee and a replacement unit if it fails (there's supposedly no charge for the device).


The monthly charges, which includes the tracker, seems too good to be true.  I really hope this one actually works - but I don't know how it can be.  It reminds me of the blue tooth technology, advertise performance that might be realized.  I'm anxious to get my  hands on one of these to compare to the units that I use.


4) Price - and here's the rest of the story.  Except for the beetracker that has only a service charge or a device like the blue tooth transmitter using community tracking, all of these devices are sold as a device for an advertised price AND then you find that you have to pay a monthly service fee for the communications, which is either a cellular or a satellite service plan.  Essentially, the tracker device is like a phone without voice capability, and the communications whereby your beehive call home, reports where it's at, whether it's staying still or moving, is all handled by cell, satellite, or satellite/cellular services.


View my webinar to learn more and please do so before you buy a bunch of trackers - I hope to help you avoid wasting your money, buying the wrong device or system.  One size does not fit all.  Think seriously about your bee management, not simply the theft problem.


My company is not currently  set up to handle a lot of single or a few beehive trackers.  We are a contract and consulting firm, and we have years of experience with these systems.  For commercial beekeepers, we can either work with you to identify the system that best suits you, or we can design, setup, and sell you a system that will yield better value for the money than simply tracking hives, if they are stolen.













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