VarroaVault Free Trial: 14 Days of Full-Feature Access
The worst way to evaluate beekeeping software is to read a comparison chart. The best way is to actually load your hives, log a count, and watch the threshold alert fire. That's exactly what the VarroaVault free trial lets you do, for 14 days, with no credit card and no commitment.
Beekeepers who complete the 14-day onboarding checklist have a 92% conversion rate to paid plans. That number isn't a sales gimmick. It reflects that when beekeepers actually use the software with their real hive data, most of them don't want to go back to whatever they were doing before.
TL;DR
- VarroaVault's free trial is designed specifically for varroa mite tracking and PHI compliance
- Setup takes under 30 minutes for most beekeeping operations
- All data is securely stored and exportable as formatted PDF for state inspections
- Free trial available with no credit card required
- Mobile app access works offline at remote apiaries without cell service
- Efficacy scoring and resistance trend flagging are built-in features unavailable in general beekeeping apps
What's Included in the Trial
The 14-day trial includes full access to every Professional-tier feature. You're not seeing a crippled demo. You're using the complete platform.
That means:
- Unlimited hive setup during the trial period
- Full mite count logging with threshold alerts
- Treatment logging with automatic PHI countdown
- Treatment efficacy scoring
- Post-treatment monitoring reminder scheduling
- Complete mite count trend history
- State inspection compliance PDF export
- treatment rotation tracking
- GPS hive mapping
- Full mobile app access on iOS and Android with offline mode
- API integrations with supported mite-counting apps
If it's in Professional, it's in the trial.
Why No Credit Card?
Some trial offers require a credit card upfront and auto-bill on day 15. That creates a dynamic where you spend the trial anxious about whether to cancel rather than actually evaluating the software. VarroaVault's trial doesn't work that way.
No credit card is required to start. At day 14, if you want to continue, you choose a plan and enter billing information. If you don't want to continue, you don't do anything and access ends. Nothing is charged.
How to Get the Most from 14 Days
Most beekeepers who feel the trial "didn't work out" quit before they got their actual hive data set up. The software has nothing to show you until your colonies, recent counts, and treatment history are in the system. Invest the first hour in setup and the rest of the trial becomes genuinely informative.
Day 1: Set Up Your Hives
Add every colony with its acquisition date, source (package, nuc, swarm, split), and location. If you have more than one apiary location, add them as separate apiaries and assign hives to each.
For each hive, enter as much queen information as you know: introduction date, origin, and any performance notes.
This setup takes about 15 minutes per hive. If you have 10 hives, budget 2-3 hours for setup including historical data entry.
Day 1-2: Enter Recent Count History
Enter your last 6-12 months of mite count records if you have them. This is the step most people skip, and it's the most valuable one. Without historical data, you have a flat dashboard. With historical data, VarroaVault shows you trends, patterns, and whether your current mite level represents an improvement or decline from previous monitoring.
If your count records are in a spreadsheet, VarroaVault's CSV import tool can bring them in without manual entry. If they're in paper notes, a couple hours of manual entry unlocks months of trend insight.
Day 3-7: Log Your Next Actual Inspection
When you visit your apiary during the trial, log the inspection in VarroaVault from your phone. Include a mite count (run an alcohol wash if you can). See what the threshold alert says. Check the PHI countdown for any active treatments.
This field experience is where most beekeepers decide. If the workflow fits into how you actually work hives, you'll want to keep it. If it doesn't, the trial gave you the answer.
Day 8-14: Review Your Data
By this point you have real data in the system. Review your count trends, look at the treatment history view, download a compliance PDF to see what it looks like, and check the mite resistance rotation tracker.
The 14-day onboarding checklist in VarroaVault walks you through each of these review steps explicitly, which is why beekeepers who complete it convert at high rates.
After the Trial
At the end of 14 days, you'll receive a reminder to choose a plan or let the trial expire.
If you choose to continue, your data carries over completely. Every count, treatment, and inspection you logged during the trial is in your paid account. You don't start over.
If you let the trial expire, your data is retained for 30 days in case you change your mind. After 30 days, the account and data are removed.
See the full plan comparison on the VarroaVault pricing page to decide between Hobby and Professional before the trial ends. The full feature overview is at varroa mite treatment software.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is included in the VarroaVault free trial?
The 14-day free trial includes full access to every Professional-tier feature: unlimited hive setup, mite count logging with threshold alerts, treatment tracking with PHI countdown, treatment efficacy scoring, post-treatment reminders, compliance PDF exports, GPS hive mapping, API integrations, and the complete mobile app. There is no feature limitation during the trial period. You're using the complete Professional platform, not a limited demo version.
Do I need a credit card to start the free trial?
No credit card is required to start the VarroaVault free trial. You create an account with your email address and set up your hives. At day 14, if you decide to continue, you choose a plan (Hobby or Professional) and enter billing information at that point. If you don't continue, nothing is charged and the account is closed without any billing action. This applies globally: there are no auto-billing traps.
What happens when my free trial ends?
At the end of 14 days, you receive an email prompting you to choose a plan. If you select a plan and enter billing information, your account converts to paid and all data logged during the trial carries over without interruption. If you don't take any action, your account enters a 30-day grace period where data is retained but new logging is disabled. After 30 days, the account and all data are permanently removed. You can restart a new trial if circumstances change, though accounts are limited to one trial period.
How do I know if my varroa treatment is working?
Run a mite count 2-4 weeks after the treatment ends and compare it to your pre-treatment count. The efficacy formula is: ((pre-count - post-count) / pre-count) x 100. A result above 90% indicates effective treatment. Results below 80% should trigger investigation for possible resistance, application error, or reinfestation. Log both counts in VarroaVault to track efficacy trends across treatment cycles.
How often should I check mite levels in my hives?
At minimum, once per month (every 3-4 weeks) during the active season. Increase to every 2 weeks when counts are near threshold or after a treatment to verify it worked. In fall, monitoring frequency matters most because the window to treat before winter bees are raised is narrow. VarroaVault's monitoring reminders can be set to your preferred interval for each apiary.
What records should I keep for varroa management?
Each record should include: date of count or treatment, hive identifier, monitoring method used, number of bees sampled, mites counted, infestation percentage, treatment product name and EPA registration number, dose applied, treatment start and end dates, and PHI end date. State apiarists typically expect this level of detail during inspections. VarroaVault captures all of these fields in a single log entry.
Sources
- American Beekeeping Federation (ABF)
- USDA ARS Bee Research Laboratory
- Honey Bee Health Coalition
- Penn State Extension Apiculture Program
- Project Apis m.
Get Started with VarroaVault
The information in this guide is most useful when you have your own mite count data to apply it to. VarroaVault stores every count, flags threshold crossings automatically, and builds the treatment history you need for state inspections and effective management decisions. Start your free trial at varroavault.com.