The recent discussion on beekeeping records and spread-sheets versus customised programmes degenerated into a slanging match. I was impressed by one contributor who asked for ideas and will now add my own thoughts. Keeping records is for the purpose of assisting decision making. Beekeepers vary in their application to writing up details. One beekeeper I know weighs his supers in the field, deducting previous weights. Another, when asked to nominate his best queen, drives into the apiary site and looks for the busiest hive. Computers will save time but will not keep records. If a beekeeper is not committed to at least a day-book of hive visits, there is no point in pretending otherwise. Anybody with 10 or less hives will not save time by using a computer. A simple day book and card index will provide all the relevant information. A day-sheet drawn up with columns for ticks for maintenance information such as "Queen sighted" "Fresh eggs", "Brood pattern" etc. will enable hive health to be tracked. Spread-sheets only enable analysis of the records they are initially set up for. Data bases can be continually amended when need for further information arises. I agree with the comment that Yards can vary from year to year so hives from different Yards cannot be compared as like to like. However the first question that any beekeeper must answer is: What do I want to know? My system is written on Microsoft Access (by my computer programmer husband) and the important information is defined as: Production per hive Last year's production per hive Production per apiary site Queen line Requeening date Queen assessment information Current location of hive Weight, type and date of extractions Maintenance problems requiring correction The production is estimated by counting frames and dividing by formula from total weight extracted. This is of course not as accurate as weighing supers but I consider the only honey worth counting is the honey passing through the extractor. All information can be kept from one daily record sheet and posted to computer. Check lists of hive locations, maintenance requirements and top production can then be produced, arranged in whatever order I desire. Hives are moved interchangeably between apiary sites depending on flowering cycles. Can anybody contribute any other information that is desired for good apiary management? Betty McAdam HOG BAY APIARY Penneshaw, Kangaroo Island j.h. & e. mcadam<[log in to unmask] http://kigateway.eastend.com.au/hogbay/hogbay1.htm