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 most recent technologies if it’s to work when confronted with growing habitat loss, pollution, pesticide use along with the spread of world pathogens.
Type in the “Smart Hive”
-a system of scientific bee care built to precisely monitor and manage conditions in hives. Where traditional beekeepers might visit each hive with a regular basis, smart hives monitor colonies 24/7, therefore can alert beekeepers towards the requirement of intervention after a problem situation occurs.
“Until the appearance of smart hives, beekeeping really was an analog process.” Says our founder and Chief Science Officer, Dr. Noah Wilson-Rich. “With technology we’re bringing bees into the Internet of Things. If you can adjust your home’s heat, turn lights off and on, see who’s at the entry way, all from your smart phone, why not perform same goes with beehives?”
Although begin to see the economic potential of smart hives-more precise pollinator management may have significant impact on the bottom line of farmers, orchardists and commercial beekeepers-Wilson-Rich with his fantastic team at Best Bees is most encouraged by their effect on bee health. “In the U.S. we lose almost half of our bee colonies each and every year.“ Says Wilson-Rich. “Smart hives accommodate more precise monitoring and treatment, and that could mean a substantial improvement in colony survival rates. That’s a victory for everyone on this planet.”
The initial smart hives to be released utilize solar energy, micro-sensors and cell phone apps to evaluate conditions in hives and send reports to beekeepers’ phones on the conditions in every hive. Most smart hive systems include monitors that measure hive weight, temperature, humidity, CO2 levels, acoustics and in many cases, bee count.
Weight. Monitoring hive weight gives beekeepers a sign of the stop and start of nectar flow, alerting the crooks to the requirement to feed (when weight is low) and harvest honey (when weight is high). Comparing weight across hives gives beekeepers a sense the relative productivity of each one colony. A spectacular drop in weight can suggest that the colony has swarmed, or hive continues to be knocked over by animals.
Temperature. Monitoring hive temperature can alert beekeepers to dangerous conditions: excessive heat indicating the hive ought to be gone after a shady spot or ventilated; unusually low heat indicating the hive should be insulated or shielded from cold winds.
Humidity. While honey production makes a humid environment in hives, excessive humidity, specially in the winter, can be quite a danger to colonies. Monitoring humidity levels let beekeepers realize that moisture build-up is happening, indicating an excuse for better ventilation and water removal.
CO2 levels. While bees can tolerate higher numbers of CO2 than humans, excessive levels can kill them. Monitoring CO2 levels can alert beekeepers towards the should ventilate hives.
Acoustics. Acoustic monitoring within hives can alert beekeepers to some variety of dangerous situations: specific adjustments to sound patterns can indicate losing a queen, swarming tendency, disease, or hive raiding.
Bee count. Counting the quantity of bees entering and leaving a hive can provide beekeepers an indication of the size and health of colonies. For commercial beekeepers this could indicate nectar flow, and the need to relocate hives to more fortunate 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 found mites while outside of the hive, alerting beekeepers with the should treat those hives to stop mite infestation.
Some of the heightened (and dear) smart hives are built to automate a lot of standard beekeeping work. These can include environmental control, swarm prevention, mite treatment and honey harvesting.
Environmental control. When data indicate a hive is way too warm, humid or has CO2 build-up, automated hives can self-ventilate, optimizing internal environmental conditions.
Swarm prevention. When weight and acoustic monitoring declare that a colony is preparing to swarm, automated hives can transform hive conditions, preventing a swarm from occurring.
Mite treatment. When sensors indicate the presence of mites, automated hives can release anti-mite treatments including formic acid. Some bee scientists are experimenting with CO2, allowing levels to climb enough in hives to kill mites, but not adequate to endanger bees. Others operate on the prototype of your hive “cocoon” that raises internal temperatures to 108 degrees, a degree of heat that kills most varroa mites.
Feeding. When weight monitors indicate low levels 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 beyond engineered frames into containers under the hives, willing to tap by beekeepers.
While smart hives are simply starting out be adopted by beekeepers, forward thinkers in the market already are studying the next generation of technology.
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