SMART BEE HIVES: A REVOLUTIONARY OF BEEKEEPING

Since 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 luxury to evolve slowly, beekeeping must deploy the most up-to-date technologies if it’s to function when confronted with growing habitat loss, pollution, pesticide use and also the spread of worldwide pathogens.

Type 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 over a weekly or monthly basis, smart hives monitor colonies 24/7, and so can alert beekeepers towards the need for intervention after a problem situation occurs.

“Until the appearance of smart hives, beekeeping really was a mechanical process.” Says our founder and Chief Science Officer, Dr. Noah Wilson-Rich. “With technology we’re bringing bees to the Internet of Things. If you possibly could adjust your home’s heat, turn lights off and on, see who’s your door, all from your mobile phone, you will want to perform the do i think the beehives?”

Although many understand the economic potential of smart hives-more precise pollinator management will surely have significant impact on the conclusion of farmers, orchardists and commercial beekeepers-Wilson-Rich and his team at the best Bees is most encouraged by their effect on bee health. “In the U.S. we lose nearly half of our bee colonies each year.“ Says Wilson-Rich. “Smart hives enable more precise monitoring and treatment, which can often mean an important improvement in colony survival rates. That’s a victory for anyone on this planet.”

The very first smart hives to be removed utilize solar energy, micro-sensors and smart phone apps to observe conditions in hives and send reports to beekeepers’ phones around the conditions in each 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 signal of the stop and start of nectar flow, alerting the crooks to the need to feed (when weight is low) and harvest honey (when weight is high). Comparing weight across hives gives beekeepers a feeling of the relative productivity of each colony. A spectacular stop by weight can claim 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 needs to be insulated or protected against cold winds.

Humidity. While honey production generates a humid environment in hives, excessive humidity, mainly in the winter, could be a danger to colonies. Monitoring humidity levels allow for beekeepers realize that moisture build-up is occurring, indicating a need for better ventilation and water removal.

CO2 levels. While bees can tolerate better numbers of CO2 than humans, excessive levels can kill them. Monitoring CO2 levels can alert beekeepers for the have to ventilate hives.

Acoustics. Acoustic monitoring within hives can alert beekeepers into a number of dangerous situations: specific modifications in sound patterns can indicate the loss of a queen, swarming tendency, disease, or hive raiding.

Bee count. Counting the volume of bees entering and leaving a hive will give beekeepers an illustration with the size and health of colonies. For commercial beekeepers this could indicate nectar flow, and also the need to relocate hives to more lucrative areas.

Mite monitoring. Australian scientists are experimenting with a fresh gateway to hives that where bees entering hives are photographed and analyzed to ascertain if bees have picked up mites while away from hive, alerting beekeepers of the need to treat those hives in order to avoid mite infestation.

A number of the more advanced (and costly) smart hives are made to automate high 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 suggest that a colony is preparing to swarm, automated hives can alter hive conditions, preventing a swarm from occurring.

Mite treatment. When sensors indicate a good mites, automated hives can release anti-mite treatments such as formic acid. Some bee scientists are tinkering with CO2, allowing levels to climb high enough in hives to kill mites, however, not high enough to endanger bees. Others will work on the prototype of an hive “cocoon” that raises internal temperatures to 108 degrees, that 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 great deal of honey, self-harvesting hives can split cells, allowing honey to empty beyond specifically created frames into containers below the hives, ready to tap by beekeepers.

While smart hives are just start to be adopted by beekeepers, forward thinkers on the market are already going through the next-gen of technology.
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