I looked at hive tracks, and have used a couple different systems... I finally gave up on recording information about everything, IE as in some of the yard sheets.. you check off everything, saw the queen, saw eggs, frames of brood, etc, etc, etc.. Now I write down when I find a problem.. Yard, Hive number, and what the problem is.. If NOTHING is written down I did not notice anything untoward with that hive during the last inspection. It is saving me time and paper so far..
Next time I go past the supply store I will look at the tags. I think thats a pretty good idea.. I have numbers on top of the hive tele covers atm.. and have found myself switching them around when combining, splitting and moving hives.. Tags, Deck screws, and my battery powered drill and I have all I would need.