Varroa Dashboard: Reading Thresholds and Status
The Varroa Dashboard in Hivekraft helps you monitor mite infestation, plan treatments, and properly assess thresholds.
The Varroa mite is the greatest threat to honeybee colonies worldwide. Without treatment, no colony in Central Europe survives permanently. The key to successful Varroa management lies in monitoring: those who know the infestation level can treat precisely and in time -- not too early, not too late. The Varroa Dashboard in Hivekraft makes exactly that possible.
Documenting Treatments
Every Varroa treatment in Hivekraft is fully recorded. This is not only important for your own management but has been a legal requirement since 2022 as part of the colony record book.
Required Fields per EU 2019/6
The following information is recorded for every treatment:
- Date: Start and end of treatment
- Veterinary medicine: Which product (e.g., formic acid 60%, oxalic acid 3.5%, Bayvarol, Apivar)
- Dosage: Amount per colony or application method
- Batch number: The batch designation of the product used
- Supplier: Where the product was obtained
- Withdrawal period: Days until the next honey harvest (for prescription medicines)
- Treating person: Who performed the treatment
- Veterinarian and prescription number: For prescription medicines
Since January 2022, all beekeepers in the EU must keep a colony record book -- including hobbyists with just one colony. The retention period is five years. During inspections by the veterinary authority, you must be able to present this documentation. Hivekraft automatically generates the colony record book as a PDF from your entries.
Recording a Treatment Step by Step
- 1
Select colony
Open the colony you want to treat, or navigate to the Treatments section in the sidebar. Click New Treatment.
- 2
Choose product and method
Select the treatment product from the list. Hivekraft knows the common Varroa products and automatically fills in the typical withdrawal period. Enter the dosage and application method (e.g., sponge cloth, evaporator, trickle).
- 3
Add batch information
Enter the batch number of the product (found on the packaging), the supplier, and if applicable, invoice number and prescription data. These details are required for the colony record book.
- 4
Document mite fall
If you counted the natural mite fall before treatment (e.g., via sticky board or powdered sugar method), enter the value. The pre-treatment infestation value is the most important reference for treatment success.
- 5
Save and track
Save the treatment. It appears in the Varroa Dashboard as an active entry. For long-term treatments (e.g., formic acid over several days), you can set the end date when the treatment is completed.
Reading the Current Overview
The Varroa Dashboard does not currently display a time-series curve. Its core elements are the seasonal threshold context and the latest documented measurement for each colony. This helps identify where another check or a professionally agreed action is needed without mixing incompatible measurement methods.
1. Threshold Context
The OK / Attention / Urgent card shows the active ranges for the season and selected threshold profile. In the standard profile, winter may deliberately have no generic critical daily-drop value. In that case, check brood state, treatment plan and regional guidance rather than carrying over a summer threshold.
2. Colony Table and Heat Bars
For each colony, the table shows the latest measurement, method, unit, coloured heat bar and resulting status. Where a critical threshold exists for the method, profile and season, a marker identifies it.
- Natural mite fall: record mites per day after a defined insert period
- Bee sample: enter the result only in the unit compatible with that method
- No measurement: means data is missing, not that infestation is automatically low
- Mixed methods: do not compare the values directly; the dashboard warns when methods are mixed
3. Tracking Measurements Usefully
Document the baseline, treatment and follow-up check with dates and the same method. Only comparable measurements show whether infestation is moving in the intended direction. The dashboard supports interpretation but does not replace diagnosis, authorisation, product information or regional treatment guidance.
Automatic Alerts
Hivekraft monitors your entered Varroa values and warns you when thresholds are exceeded. Alerts appear on the dashboard and in the colony traffic light.
What Alerts Are Available?
- Rising trend: Three consecutive measurements with increasing mite fall trigger an advisory
- Threshold exceeded: When mite fall exceeds the seasonal threshold, the traffic light switches to yellow or red
- Treatment overdue: When the last treatment entry is older than typical for the season
- Withdrawal period active: Reminder that a withdrawal period after treatment is still active and harvesting is not allowed
The alerts are based on general thresholds and your individual data. They do not replace your judgment as a beekeeper. In some situations -- such as with a nucleus colony that naturally has fewer mites -- the standard values may be too sensitive. Use the alerts as a prompt to look more closely.
Treatment History per Colony
In the Varroa Dashboard, you see the complete treatment history for each colony:
- Which product was applied when?
- What was the mite fall before and after treatment?
- Was the treatment successful? (Mite fall reduction in percent)
- Withdrawal periods: Which withdrawal periods are still in effect?
This history is valuable for treatment planning: if you know that formic acid worked well for a specific colony last year, you can repeat the same strategy. If the effect was mediocre, you try a different product.
Year-Over-Year Comparison
One of the most useful features in the Varroa Dashboard: comparison with the previous year.
- Mite fall comparison: Was the infestation this year higher or lower than last year at the same time?
- Treatment timing: Did you treat earlier or later this year?
- Treatment success: Was the reduction better or worse?
This comparison helps you improve your Varroa management year by year. If the infestation rises earlier every year, this indicates a general burden in the region -- then you may need to adjust your treatment strategy.
Exporting the Colony Record Book as PDF
Hivekraft automatically generates an EU-compliant colony record book from your treatment entries. You can export it at any time as a PDF -- bilingual in German and English.
The colony record book contains all required information:
- Colony identification and location
- Date of every treatment
- Veterinary medicine with batch number
- Dosage and application method
- Supplier and invoice number
- Withdrawal period
- Treating person
- Veterinarian and prescription number (if applicable)
When the veterinary authority announces an inspection or you need a health certificate for your colonies, you export the colony record book as a PDF and have all data print-ready. This saves the tedious compilation from paper notes.
Knowledge Check
In the next lesson, we cover Harvests and Labels -- how to document your honey harvests, manage batches, and use QR codes for maximum transparency.