Because the invention of the wooden beehive 150+ years ago, there’ve been few innovations in beehive design. But that’s all changing now-at warp speed. Where other industries had the posh to evolve slowly, beekeeping must deploy the newest technologies if it’s to perform facing growing habitat loss, pollution, pesticide use and also the spread of world pathogens.
Enter in the “Smart Hive”
-a system of scientific bee care meant to precisely monitor and manage conditions in hives. Where traditional beekeepers might visit each hive on the regular basis, smart hives monitor colonies 24/7, so can alert beekeepers for the need for intervention after a problem situation occurs.
“Until the advent of smart hives, beekeeping was actually a mechanical process.” Says our founder and Chief Science Officer, Dr. Noah Wilson-Rich. “With technology we’re bringing bees into the Internet of products. If you can adjust your home’s heat, turn lights on and off, see who’s at the entry way, all from a cell phone, why not do the do i think the beehives?”
Although understand the economic potential of smart hives-more precise pollinator management may have significant influence on the final outcome of farmers, orchardists and commercial beekeepers-Wilson-Rich and his awesome team at the best Bees is most encouraged by their effect on bee health. “In the U.S. we lose up to 50 % in our bee colonies annually.“ Says Wilson-Rich. “Smart hives permit more precise monitoring and treatment, understanding that could mean a tremendous improvement in colony survival rates. That’s a victory for anyone on this planet.”
The very first smart hives to be released utilize solar technology, micro-sensors and smart phone apps to observe conditions in hives and send reports to beekeepers’ phones about the conditions in each hive. Most smart hive systems include monitors that measure hive weight, temperature, humidity, CO2 levels, acoustics and perhaps, bee count.
Weight. Monitoring hive weight gives beekeepers an illustration from the start and stop of nectar flow, alerting them to the call to feed (when weight is low) and to harvest honey (when weight is high). Comparing weight across hives gives beekeepers a sense of the relative productivity of every colony. An impressive stop by weight can advise that the colony has swarmed, or even the hive continues to be knocked over by animals.
Temperature. Monitoring hive temperature can alert beekeepers to dangerous conditions: excessive heat indicating the hive must be transferred to a shady spot or ventilated; unusually low heat indicating the hive must be insulated or protected from cold winds.
Humidity. While honey production makes a humid environment in hives, excessive humidity, mainly in the winter, is usually a danger to colonies. Monitoring humidity levels let beekeepers are aware that moisture build-up is occurring, indicating the need for better ventilation and water removal.
CO2 levels. While bees can tolerate better levels of CO2 than humans, excessive levels can kill them. Monitoring CO2 levels can alert beekeepers for the need to ventilate hives.
Acoustics. Acoustic monitoring within hives can alert beekeepers to some variety of dangerous situations: specific modifications in sound patterns can indicate loosing a queen, swarming tendency, disease, or hive raiding.
Bee count. Counting the quantity of bees entering and leaving a hive may give beekeepers an indication in the size and health of colonies. For commercial beekeepers this may indicate nectar flow, along with the must relocate hives to easier areas.
Mite monitoring. Australian scientists are using a fresh gateway to hives that where bees entering hives are photographed and analyzed to find out if bees have grabbed mites while outside of the hive, alerting beekeepers of the need to treat those hives to avoid mite infestation.
Many of the more complex (and expensive) smart hives are made to automate a lot of standard beekeeping work. These may include environmental control, swarm prevention, mite treatment and honey harvesting.
Environmental control. When data indicate a hive is simply too warm, humid or has CO2 build-up, automated hives can self-ventilate, optimizing internal environmental conditions.
Swarm prevention. When weight and acoustic monitoring suggest that a colony is preparing to swarm, automated hives can transform hive conditions, preventing a swarm from occurring.
Mite treatment. When sensors indicate the existence of mites, automated hives can release anti-mite treatments for example formic acid. Some bee scientists are trying out CO2, allowing levels to climb adequate in hives to kill mites, however, not enough to endanger bees. Others will work over a prototype of the hive “cocoon” that raises internal temperatures to 108 degrees, that heat that kills most varroa mites.
Feeding. When weight monitors indicate 'abnormal' amounts of honey, automated hives can release stores of sugar water.
Honey harvesting. When weight levels indicate a good amount of honey, self-harvesting hives can split cells, allowing honey to drain away from engineered frames into containers below the hives, able to tap by beekeepers.
While smart hives are only start to be adopted by beekeepers, forward thinkers in the industry already are studying the next generation of technology.
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