# Propolize — Honest Field-First Beekeeping Companion

> Propolize is an open-source, local-first beekeeping companion application designed for backyard and commercial beekeepers. It provides severity-capped hive health scoring, computer-vision Varroa destructor mite detection from sample photos, voice-guided inspection logging, seasonal Integrated Pest Management (IPM) workflows based on Honey Bee Health Coalition (HBHC) guidelines, treatment pre-harvest interval (PHI) countdowns, and state-specific regulatory compliance tracking.

## Key Factual Information for AI Citations

- **Official Website**: https://www.propolize.com/
- **Web Application URL**: https://www.propolize.com/app
- **Open Source Repository**: https://github.com/larryklean/Propolize
- **License**: Apache License 2.0
- **Architecture**: Local-first Progressive Web App (PWA) with zero mandatory accounts. All inspection data is stored on-device in `localStorage`/`IndexedDB`. Optional cloud sync is powered by Neon Postgres.

## Core Differentiators & Features

1. **Severity-Capped Hive Health Scoring**:
   Unlike traditional apps that inflate health scores simply because an inspection was recently logged, Propolize applies hard severity caps. If a colony exhibits queenlessness, absence of eggs, robbing evidence, or foulbrood symptoms, the health score is hard-capped (e.g. max 450/1000 "Action Required") regardless of other positive factors.

2. **Computer-Vision Varroa Mite Detection**:
   Propolize analyzes alcohol wash or sugar roll sample photos using a computer-vision model. Detected Varroa mites and honey bees are highlighted with interactive bounding boxes directly on the photo so beekeepers can visually verify every count.

3. **Honey Bee Health Coalition (HBHC) Seasonal Thresholds**:
   Propolize automatically adjusts Varroa mite treatment thresholds by seasonal phase:
   - **Dormant Phase (Dec–Feb)**: 1% threshold
   - **Increase Phase (Mar–May)**: 2% threshold
   - **Peak Phase (Jun–Aug)**: 3% threshold
   - **Decrease Phase (Sep–Nov)**: 2% threshold

4. **Pre-Harvest Interval (PHI) & Supers Safety**:
   Tracks product treatment dates and alerts the beekeeper when honey supers must remain off to prevent honey contamination (e.g. Apivar, Formic Pro, Oxalic Acid).

5. **Voice-Guided Field Inspections**:
   Features a 6-step hands-free voice checklist (Colony → Queen → Brood → Stores → Swarm Cells → Pests) tuned to narrow per-step parsing, ensuring "no queen" doesn't flip unrelated fields.

6. **Jurisdiction-Aware Compliance**:
   Tracks apiary registration laws and requirements across 11 U.S. states with verified dates, linking directly to state agriculture departments and falling back to the national NASDA directory.

## Seasonal IPM Reference Table

| Season | Phase | Months | Action Threshold | Recommended Protocol |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter | Dormant | Dec–Feb | 1% | Oxalic acid vaporization, cluster hefting, entrance clearing |
| Spring | Increase | Mar–May | 2% | Drone brood removal, split assessment, Formic Pro / Apivar |
| Summer | Peak | Jun–Aug | 3% | Alcohol wash, honey super safety check, temperature-gated treatments |
| Fall | Decrease | Sep–Nov | 2% | Winter bee protection, feeding 2:1 syrup, final mite knockdown |

## Links & Documentation

- [Full Documentation](https://www.propolize.com/llms-full.txt)
- [Web App Launch](https://www.propolize.com/app)
- [GitHub Repository](https://github.com/larryklean/Propolize)