Sharing is caring

The “copy text” feature is designed so members can share useful forecast guidance in emails, forums, association posts or messages without leaking anything private. Where a link is included, it uses a safe public URL rather than a private saved-location link.

It is one of those bits of work that should be invisible when it works well. You click, copy, paste and share. Behind that, the system is checking that the shared text doesn’t smuggle out something that should only belong to the logged-in user.

Example: 

Apiary Forecast: Forage Outlook – Banbury – Wed 17 Jun 2026

Forage profile: Lowland mixed farmland
Forage intake outlook: Useful forage opportunity, 58/100.
Meaning: Forage intake estimates likely practical gain from seasonal forage, bee flying weather, nectar conditions and the best usable weather window. It is guidance from a model, not proof of nectar flow.
Components: pollen potential 93/100; nectar potential 46/100; flying weather 66/100; nectar conditions 68/100.
Best practical window: Best available bee flying window: Morning (09:00–12:00), bee flying weather 66/100, plant/soil support 80/100, surface soil 22.2°C, 6cm soil 19.6°C, 21°C feels like 21°C, rain 0mm/53%, wind 6mph gusts 11mph, sun 0.1hrs.
Nectar conditions: The best window looks usable for nectar, but local plant yield still matters.
Summary: Forage looks usable, with reasonable pollen or nectar potential. Main limit: The main uncertainty is what is actually flowering near the apiary. The listed plants need to be producing pollen or nectar and close enough for bees to use.
Likely sources: Forest rides, bramble and woodland-edge scrub where flowering, White clover, Sainfoin, melilot and specialist forage legumes, Rosebay willowherb, Feral mustard/charlock, Knapweed, thistles and meadow legumes.
Practical actions:
– Use low-disruption checks first: hive weight, entrance activity and stores before exposing brood.
– If colonies are light, feed according to your normal local practice rather than waiting for forage conditions to improve.
Cautions:
– Possible June-gap / stores-pressure period.

Forecast link: https://apiaryforecast.com/forage-outlook/?af_use_query_location=1&sbfo_location=banbury&sbfo_profile=auto#sbfo-day-20260617
This is a shareable link from a preset location (settlement) and does not reveal a private location.

Generated from Apiary Forecast: Forage Outlook on 17 Jun 2026 15:03.
Guidance only: flowering does not always mean nectar flow. Compare with entrance activity, pollen coming in, hive weight and direct local observation.

So in this example, the member can share the bulk of their forecast and paste it, but if anyone using the link doesn’t have access to Banbury, it will safely reject the request for Banbury and use the regional default. And, if they’re not a member at all, they won’t see anything. 

Here’s an example from my own apiary:

Apiary Forecast: Inspection Outlook – My Apiary (private saved location) – Wed 17 Jun 2026

Best practical window: Midday (12:00–15:00)
Inspection suitability: Limited, 66/100.
Meaning: This score estimates whether the weather is suitable for opening or checking colonies. It does not decide whether an inspection is necessary.
Weather: 17°C, feels like 14°C; dry; wind manageable 10/20mph WNW (283°); brightness ⛅ 3hrs, 68% cloud, mixed cloud; pressure rising.
24-hour context: max 17°C, low 9°C; rain 0.3mm, 69% risk; peak wind/gusts 10mph/21mph; pressure 1,010–1,025 hPa, rising (+14.4 hPa over 24h).
Advice: Limited inspection window. Brood-nest work should be brief and purposeful if needed. Know what you are checking before you open, work efficiently, and close up promptly.

Forecast link: https://apiaryforecast.com/inspection-outlook/#bif-day-20260617
Private saved-apiary locations are account-bound. This link does not reveal saved coordinates and is limited to the default location for that region.

Generated from Apiary Forecast: Inspection Outlook v2.38.84 using Platform v2.4.227 and Weather Core v1.5.46 on 17 Jun 2026 15:17.
Guidance only: beekeeper judgement, colony condition, direct weather observation and the reason for opening matter more than the score.

So if the links are so privacy orientated, what’s the point of them?

Well, the link is a convenience for those with the right access, and the point of copy text is the ability to share the forecast information. That’s the distinction here.

Associations or local groups 

If you have members with the same regional entitlement (very common) then the links become very useful.

Swarm Outlook

As Swarm Outlook is entirely public, sharing links to those forecasts makes total sense.

The aim isn’t just to make Apiary Forecast useful. It needs to be useful in a way that respects member privacy and doesn’t accidentally turn private apiary data into public links.