Most tools make you choose between running the association and managing hives. ApiaryBase does both, for the same $25/month.
Every member gets a profile with role, dues status, and contact info in one place your officers actually check. Invite by email, import an existing list from a spreadsheet in one pass, and let the system reconcile duplicates automatically. Role-based access means your treasurer sees financials while a regular member sees only their own records — no more copying a spreadsheet and manually redacting columns before a board meeting.
Each member gets an unlimited apiary and colony registry — no per-hive fee, no upsell. Track location, hive count, and equipment per yard, and drill into individual colonies for a running history of queens, treatments, and inspections. This is the part of ApiaryBase that gets members to actually log in between board meetings, because it's useful to them personally, not just to the association's paperwork.
Inspection forms are designed to fill out on a phone with gloves half off, not at a desk after the fact. Each new inspection pre-fills from the last visit to the same colony, so a routine check is a few taps, not a blank form. Every inspection becomes part of that colony's permanent record — visible to the member, and, if they opt in, contributing anonymized to the association's research data.
Set up tiered dues (individual, family, sponsor — whatever your bylaws call for), and ApiaryBase tracks who's current, who's in a grace period, and who's lapsed. Automated reminder emails go out before and after a renewal date, so your secretary isn't manually emailing forty people every January. Dues payments themselves stay directly between your association and its members — ApiaryBase tracks status, it doesn't hold funds.
Post meetings, field days, and extraction parties with a real RSVP count instead of guessing how many chairs to set out. Announcements go to the whole roster or a filtered group, and members can see what's coming up without digging through old emails or a Facebook group's chronological feed.
When a member logs a routine inspection, varroa count, or treatment, they can opt in to contribute a de-identified copy to ApiaryBase's Research API — formatted for the Bee Informed Partnership (BIP) Loss & Management Survey and USDA APHIS colony reporting. No extra data entry, no separate survey to fill out at the end of the year. Consent is per-member and can be changed anytime; the association never speaks for a member's data.
Generic membership software serves the board. Solo hive apps serve one keeper. ApiaryBase is the only one built for both at once.
| ApiaryBase | Generic membership software | Solo hive apps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Built for beekeeping associations specifically | Yes | No — generic membership tool | No — solo hive tracker |
| Dues tracking with renewal reminders | Yes | Sometimes | No |
| Free hive management for every member | Yes, included | No | Only for the one user |
| Varroa counts & treatment logs | Yes | No | Sometimes |
| BIP / USDA research data export | Yes, built in | No | No |
| Multi-org / chapter support | Yes | Sometimes, extra cost | N/A |
| Flat pricing regardless of member count | Yes — $25/mo | Usually per-seat | N/A, single user |
| Events with RSVPs | Yes | Sometimes | No |
| Role-based board access | Yes | Sometimes | N/A |
| Free tier for small clubs | Yes, under 25 members | Rare | Sometimes |
Start free, import your roster, and have your first event posted before the next board meeting.