Since invention with the wooden beehive 150+ years back, there’ve been few innovations in beehive design. But that’s all changing now-at warp speed. Where other industries had the luxurious to evolve slowly, beekeeping must deploy the most up-to-date technologies if it’s to perform in the face of growing habitat loss, pollution, pesticide use along with the spread of world pathogens.
Enter 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 a weekly or monthly basis, smart hives monitor colonies 24/7, so can alert beekeepers on the dependence on intervention when a challenge 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 in the Internet of products. If you possibly could adjust your home’s heat, turn lights off and on, see who’s at your front door, all from your smart phone, have you thought to perform in final summary is beehives?”
While many understand the economic potential of smart hives-more precise pollinator management might have significant affect the conclusion of farmers, orchardists and commercial beekeepers-Wilson-Rich and his team at Best Bees is most encouraged by their effect on bee health. “In the U.S. we lose nearly half in our bee colonies each and every year.“ Says Wilson-Rich. “Smart hives allow for more precise monitoring and treatment, and that can often mean a substantial improvement in colony survival rates. That’s success for anyone on the planet.”
The 1st smart hives to be sold utilize solar power, micro-sensors and mobile phone apps to observe conditions in hives and send reports to beekeepers’ phones for 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 indication in the start and stop of nectar flow, alerting these phones the need to feed (when weight is low) and harvest honey (when weight is high). Comparing weight across hives gives beekeepers feeling of the relative productivity of each one 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 moved to a shady spot or ventilated; unusually low heat indicating the hive ought to be insulated or protected against cold winds.
Humidity. While honey production produces a humid environment in hives, excessive humidity, specially in the winter, can be quite a danger to colonies. Monitoring humidity levels can let beekeepers are aware that moisture build-up is happening, indicating a need for better ventilation and water removal.
CO2 levels. While bees can tolerate much higher levels of CO2 than humans, excessive levels can kill them. Monitoring CO2 levels can alert beekeepers on the need to ventilate hives.
Acoustics. Acoustic monitoring within hives can alert beekeepers to some amount of dangerous situations: specific changes in sound patterns could mean the loss of a queen, swarming tendency, disease, or hive raiding.
Bee count. Counting the volume of bees entering and leaving a hive may give beekeepers an illustration with the size and health of colonies. For commercial beekeepers this may indicate nectar flow, and also the have to relocate hives to more lucrative areas.
Mite monitoring. Australian scientists are experimenting with a brand new gateway to hives that where bees entering hives are photographed and analyzed to find out if bees have acquired mites while away from hive, alerting beekeepers with the should treat those hives in order to avoid mite infestation.
A number of the more complex (and expensive) smart hives are made to automate most of standard beekeeping work. These range from 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 declare that a colony is preparing to swarm, automated hives can adjust hive conditions, preventing a swarm from occurring.
Mite treatment. When sensors indicate the use of mites, automated hives can release anti-mite treatments including formic acid. Some bee scientists are trying out CO2, allowing levels to climb high enough in hives to kill mites, and not sufficient to endanger bees. Others work on the prototype of the hive “cocoon” that raises internal temperatures to 108 degrees, a degree of heat that kills most varroa mites.
Feeding. When weight monitors indicate lower levels of honey, automated hives can release stores of sugar water.
Honey harvesting. When weight levels indicate a great deal of honey, self-harvesting hives can split cells, allowing honey to empty from engineered frames into containers below the hives, ready to tap by beekeepers.
While smart hives are simply beginning to be adopted by beekeepers, forward thinkers on the market are already studying the next-gen of technology.
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