Marking bee colonies with an NFC chip and QR code

Anyone running more than a handful of colonies knows the problem: the marker pen on the lid fades, the note under the stone turns to pulp, and come spring you stand between two hives no longer certain which one was the weak one last autumn. A marking has to do two things: survive a winter outdoors and stay unambiguous.

What sets the APITag apart from an NFC sticker

• It works on metal. On the metal lid, where ordinary NFC stickers stay silent.
• It cannot be overwritten. The destination is fixed, so nobody can slip a different address onto your hive.
• The number is printed on it. You can see which tag is in front of you without a phone, and use the same number in paper records.

Why cheap NFC stickers are useless on a hive

Anyone who has tried it knows the outcome: in your hand the phone reads the sticker instantly, on the metal lid nothing happens. Metal interferes with the radio field NFC relies on. The APITag is built for exactly that and explicitly approved for metal surfaces – which is why it works where others fail.

Scan the tag, the colony opens

You assign the tag to a colony once, in the app Bienenvölker – deine Imker App. After that, holding your phone to the hive is enough: the app opens that colony, with its hive record, last inspection, treatments and harvests. No scrolling through lists, no mix-ups at the apiary, gloves and all.

And if somebody else scans it?

Sooner or later a walker will hold their phone to a hive at the field edge. Whoever scans without the app does not land in your hive records – what they see instead is up to you: your website, your Instagram account or a prepared message. Those visits are counted, so you can see whether anyone scans at all.

What the tag is made of

30 mm across, PVC with a 3M adhesive layer on the back and a 3 mm hole in the centre for a nail or drawing pin. Waterproof to IP67, rated from −25 °C to +70 °C, ten years of data retention. Made and individually function-tested in Germany.

Further reading

Marking bee colonies clearly: number, QR code or NFC – what each option is worth, and where most NFC stickers fail on a metal lid.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can somebody reprogram my tag?

No. The destination is fixed and cannot be overwritten afterwards, so nobody can slip a different address onto your hive.

Do I need a particular phone?

Any NFC-capable smartphone will read the chip; all devices following ISO 14443 are compatible. Without NFC you use the printed QR code, which leads to the same colony.

Does an NFC chip work on a metal lid?

An ordinary NFC sticker does not – metal interferes with the radio field and the sticker stays silent on the hive. The APITag is built for metal surfaces and explicitly approved for them.

How many tags do I need?

One per colony. The printed number stays with that colony, even if you move it or change the hive.