From creating an apiary to hive maintenance, from production records to backups — everything you're looking for is here. Type a topic and the matching section opens automatically.
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Creating an apiary and adding your first hives.
The free version limits the number of apiaries; check out Premium for unlimited apiaries.
The free version limits the number of hives per apiary; check out Premium for unlimited hives.
Open the "Hive Layers" section on the hive detail screen. From there you can add a new layer, remove an existing one, and update the frame count for each layer. The layer count updates automatically on the hive card and in reports.
Every hive has a status: Active (normal operation), Attention (a warning from the last inspection — e.g. queen not spotted), or Inactive (not in production, kept in the "Inactive Hives" list). You can change the status from Hive Settings and reactivate an inactive hive at any time.
From the Hive Layout screen you can drag the hives in your apiary onto a grid that mirrors your real field arrangement. This makes it easier to find hives on-site and check them while counting.
Logging inspection, treatment and feeding records.
You can view all your maintenance records on the hive detail screen and by date in the Calendar view.
On the add-record screen, choose Treatment as the Record Type. Enter the medication/product type you used, the dosage, and any notes, then save. You can view past treatments in date order from the hive detail screen — ideal for tracking when the same treatment is due again.
On the add-record screen, choose Feeding as the Record Type, enter the feeding amount (L), add a note and save. You can look back over the season to see how much syrup/feed you gave each hive.
Harvest records, honey types and production reports.
On the add-record screen, choose the harvest type: Honey, Propolis, Pollen or Royal Jelly. For a honey harvest, also specify which Honey Type you collected. The harvest amounts you enter automatically flow into the Production Report, by apiary and by period.
From Settings > Honey Types, tap "+" to add a new honey type (e.g. blossom honey, chestnut honey, pine honey). If a type with the same name already exists, the app will let you know.
In the Reports section, you can view honey/propolis/pollen/royal jelly production totals filtered by apiary and date range. These reports are calculated automatically from your harvest records — no manual data entry needed.
Adding queens, hive assignment and status tracking.
In the queen's detail screen, choose a hive under "Hive assignment". The queen then appears on that hive's card; maintenance records from then on are tied to this hive. When you change hives, past assignments are kept as a genealogy, so you can look back and see which queen was in which hives.
A queen's status can be one of: Cell, Virgin, Mated, Laying, Sold, Dead/Lost, Replaced. You can update the status and add performance notes from the queen's detail screen.
When you set a queen to Sold status, you can enter sale details such as buyer, date and note. Sold queens can be filtered separately in the queens list.
Field counts, barcode search and duplicate alerts.
This feature especially speeds up field checks in apiaries with many hives, and helps you spot lost/missing hives early.
Adding official registration numbers and assigning them to hives.
A "plate" is the official registration/plate number your local agricultural authority assigns to your hives under its bee registration system. In Kovan IQ you can bulk-enter these plate numbers in advance and assign them to hives when adding or editing them — so you always know which official plate is on which hive.
When adding a hive, or editing it from hive settings, use the "Select Plate" step to search and pick an available plate from the list. Plate assignment is optional — you can skip this step and save the hive without a plate, and assign one later.
In the Plate Management list, tap a plate to edit its number or delete it. Plates assigned to a hive show as "Active • [hive name]"; if the hive becomes inactive, the plate is marked "Inactive • [hive name] (hive inactive)", and you can reassign it to another hive whenever you like.
Creating and managing maintenance reminders.
From the Tasks screen, tap "+" to create a new task/reminder; pick a date and, optionally, a related hive. Your device gets a notification at the time you set. You can mark completed tasks as "Done".
Backing up and restoring your data.
The backup is created as a single ZIP file containing all your tables and saved photos. Automatic backups (nightly, at set intervals) are also available for Premium users.
On a new device, or after reinstalling the app, go to Settings > Backup and select a previously saved ZIP file to restore it. Restoring overwrites your current data; if you're not sure, back up your current data first.
Common issues and their fixes.
Check your operating system's notification permissions: on Android, make sure notifications are enabled in app permissions, and on Android 12+ devices, that "exact alarm" permission has been granted. On iOS, verify notifications are enabled for Kovan IQ under Settings > Notifications.
Make sure Kovan IQ has camera and gallery access permission in your device settings. If permission was denied before, you may need to enable it manually from the app's settings.
If you have a recent backup, you can restore it from Settings > Backup. If you don't back up regularly, we recommend turning on automatic backup (Premium) or weekly manual backups going forward to reduce the risk of data loss.
Write to us at [email protected]. Briefly describe the issue and, if possible, attach a screenshot — it helps us help you faster.
