Varroa Management Record-Keeping Templates
Good record keeping does not have to be complicated. It needs to be consistent. The right template captures what you need without creating so much paperwork that you stop filling it out. This guide describes the templates that work for different scales of operation and what each field should contain.
Mite Monitoring Log Template
The minimum viable mite monitoring record for each test event:
Date: The exact date of the test. Month and day are required; year is critical for multi-year trend analysis.
Yard/Apiary ID: Where the hive is located.
Hive ID: The individual colony identifier within that yard.
Testing Method: Alcohol wash, sugar roll, or sticky board. Different methods have different accuracy levels that matter when comparing data over time.
Bees Sampled: The number of bees in the sample. Standard is 300 (approximately half a cup). Record the actual count if you know it.
Mite Count: Number of mites counted in the sample.
Infestation Rate: Mites divided by bees times 100. VarroaVault calculates this automatically.
Action Taken: Treated, monitored, or no action required. If treated, which product.
Tester: Who performed the test. Important for commercial operations with multiple staff.
Treatment Record Template
Every treatment event requires its own record:
Date Applied: When strips, pads, or vaporization was performed.
Date Removed/Ended: When treatment concluded.
Product Name: Full commercial name (e.g., Apivar, Formic Pro, Api-Bioxal).
EPA Registration Number: Found on the product label. Required for compliance records.
Active Ingredient: Amitraz, formic acid, oxalic acid, thymol, etc.
Batch/Lot Number: From the product packaging.
Dose Applied: Number of strips, grams of oxalic acid, or number of pads per hive.
Hives Treated: List of hive IDs or yard identifier if treating all hives in a yard.
Pre-Harvest Interval Start Date: Calculated from treatment end date based on the product label PHI.
Pre-Treatment Mite Count: The count that triggered the treatment decision.
Post-Treatment Mite Count: Taken 10 to 14 days after treatment ends.
Efficacy Calculation: Percentage reduction from pre to post-treatment count.
Queen and Hive History Template
A complete hive record should also include:
Hive ID and Location: Permanent identifier and GPS or address if available.
Queen Source and Introduction Date: Important for tracking resistant genetics over time.
Queen ID (if marked): Color code or year.
Splits and Merges: Dates and hive IDs involved.
Disease Findings: Any disease observations with date, type, and action taken.
Using Templates Digitally vs on Paper
Paper templates work but have limits. They cannot calculate infestation rates, cannot alert you when a count exceeds threshold, and cannot be searched or exported for an inspector. A paper template is better than nothing but a digital system is substantially more useful.
VarroaVault's data entry screens are built around these same fields. When you enter a mite count, the system calculates the infestation rate, plots it on your trend chart, and checks it against your configured action threshold. Treatment records flow directly into your pre-harvest interval tracker so you never accidentally harvest from a hive still within its PHI window.
Adapting Templates to Your Operation Scale
A hobbyist with two hives can keep all records in a simple notebook or phone app. A commercial operator with 500 hives across 20 yards needs a system that can query by date range, filter by yard, and export formatted reports for state inspectors. The fields are the same; the system needs to scale.
See the beekeeper compliance records USDA guide and the record keeping for commercial beekeeping compliance article on VarroaVault for more detail on regulatory requirements that drive what your records must contain.