Combwell is an offline hive logbook for iPhone. It records inspections, varroa counts, treatments and harvests for each colony, and plots them as one trend line across seasons, so you can see whether a hive is actually improving year on year.
Everything stays on your iPhone. Combwell has no accounts, no sign-in, no ads and no internet connection of any kind.
Getting help
If something is wrong, or a feature does not behave the way you expect, email me and I will answer personally.
Email: [email protected]
Please include your iPhone model and iOS version, and if it is about a specific colony or record, roughly what you were doing when it happened. If the app is behaving oddly with your own data, a CSV export (see below) is the fastest way for me to reproduce it.
Common questions
Where is my data stored?
On your iPhone, and nowhere else. Combwell has no server and no network access, so your hive records never leave the device. That also means the app works exactly the same in an apiary with no signal.
How do I get my records out?
Settings → Export. Combwell writes standard CSV files — colonies, inspections, treatments and harvests, plus a filtered inspection report you can narrow by colony and season. They open directly in Numbers, Excel or Google Sheets. The share sheet then lets you mail them to yourself, save them to Files, or send them anywhere else.
The exported columns use fixed English values (for example a queen status of
lost rather than the translated word) so a spreadsheet totals correctly no
matter which language the app is set to.
Is my data backed up?
Combwell itself does not back anything up, because it never sends your records anywhere. Your hive data is included in your normal iPhone backup — iCloud Backup or an encrypted backup to a Mac — like any other app’s data. If you are keeping years of records, it is worth exporting a CSV occasionally as a copy you control.
What happens if I delete the app?
Deleting Combwell removes its data from your iPhone along with it. Export first if you want to keep your records.
What does the mite threshold do?
The chart’s dashed line marks the level at which you have decided treatment is warranted, and readings above it are drawn in a warning colour. The default is 3 mites per 100 bees; change it in Settings if your own practice differs. It is a visual marker for your own judgement — Combwell does not give treatment advice.
Which languages does it support?
English, French and Spanish. The French and Spanish translations are a first pass and have not been reviewed by a beekeeper who works in those languages — if a term reads wrong to you, please tell me and I will fix it.
Does it work on iPad or Apple Watch?
Not yet. Combwell is an iPhone app, designed to be used one-handed with gloves on beside an open hive.
Contact
Questions, bugs, or feature requests:
Email: [email protected]
For privacy questions specifically, see the Combwell Privacy Policy or email [email protected].
See also our Terms and Conditions.