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Since the invention with the wooden beehive 150+ in years past, 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 function when confronted with growing habitat loss, pollution, pesticide use along with the spread of global pathogens.

Type in the “Smart Hive”

-a system of scientific bee care designed 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, therefore can alert beekeepers for the requirement of intervention when a problem situation occurs.

“Until the arrival 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 in the Internet of products. If you possibly could adjust your home’s heat, turn lights on and off, see who’s at your entry way, all from a smartphone, you will want to perform the in final summary is beehives?”

Although many understand the economic potential of smart hives-more precise pollinator management can have significant effect on the conclusion of farmers, orchardists and commercial beekeepers-Wilson-Rich and the team at the best Bees is most encouraged by their influence on bee health. “In the U.S. we lose up to 50 % of our own bee colonies annually.“ Says Wilson-Rich. “Smart hives allow for more precise monitoring and treatment, which can often mean a tremendous improvement in colony survival rates. That’s success for anyone on the planet.”

The very first smart hives to be sold utilize solar powered energy, micro-sensors and smartphone apps to monitor conditions in hives and send reports to beekeepers’ phones on 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 a sign with the stop and start of nectar flow, alerting them 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 dramatic drop in weight can claim that the colony has swarmed, or perhaps the hive has become knocked over by animals.

Temperature. Monitoring hive temperature can alert beekeepers to dangerous conditions: excessive heat indicating the hive needs to be transferred to a shady spot or ventilated; unusually low heat indicating the hive ought to be insulated or resistant to cold winds.

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

CO2 levels. While bees can tolerate better amounts 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 a amount of dangerous situations: specific alterations in sound patterns can often mean 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 in the size and health of colonies. For commercial beekeepers this could indicate nectar flow, along with the should 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 determine if bees have acquired mites while outside the hive, alerting beekeepers of the must treat those hives to prevent mite infestation.

Many of the heightened (and expensive) smart hives are created 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 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 advise that a colony is getting ready to swarm, automated hives can transform hive conditions, preventing a swarm from occurring.

Mite treatment. When sensors indicate the use of mites, automated hives can release anti-mite treatments for example formic acid. Some bee scientists are tinkering with CO2, allowing levels to climb enough in hives to kill mites, and not enough to endanger bees. Others work with a prototype of the hive “cocoon” that raises internal temperatures to 108 degrees, a level 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 great deal of honey, self-harvesting hives can split cells, allowing honey to drain from specially designed frames into containers underneath the hives, ready to tap by beekeepers.

While smart hives are simply start to be adopted by beekeepers, forward thinkers in the industry are actually studying the next-gen of technology.

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