Smart Bee Hives: A Radical Of Beekeeping
Considering that the invention of 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 posh to evolve slowly, Thung ong tu chay mat must deploy the most recent technologies if it’s to operate in the face of growing habitat loss, pollution, pesticide use and also the spread of global 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 the weekly or monthly basis, smart hives monitor colonies 24/7, and thus can alert beekeepers for the need for intervention the moment 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 to the Internet of Things. When you can adjust your home’s heat, turn lights on and off, see who’s your doorway, all from the mobile phone, why don't you perform same with beehives?”
Even though many start to see the economic potential of smart hives-more precise pollinator management will surely have significant influence on the bottom line of farmers, orchardists and commercial beekeepers-Wilson-Rich and his awesome team at Best Bees is most encouraged by their influence on bee health. “In the U.S. we lose up to 50 % in our bee colonies each and every year.“ Says Wilson-Rich. “Smart hives allow for more precise monitoring and treatment, which could mean a significant improvement in colony survival rates. That’s a win for all on the planet.”
The 1st smart hives to be removed utilize solar power, micro-sensors and cell phone apps to monitor 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 perhaps, bee count.
Weight. Monitoring hive weight gives beekeepers an illustration with the start and stop of nectar flow, alerting these to the requirement to feed (when weight is low) also to harvest honey (when weight is high). Comparing weight across hives gives beekeepers a sense the relative productivity of each and every colony. A spectacular drop in weight can claim that the colony has swarmed, or hive may 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 ought to be insulated or shielded from cold winds.
Humidity. While honey production generates a humid environment in hives, excessive humidity, specially in the winter, can be quite a danger to colonies. Monitoring humidity levels let beekeepers know that moisture build-up is occurring, indicating any excuses 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 towards the should ventilate hives.
Acoustics. Acoustic monitoring within hives can alert beekeepers with a number of dangerous situations: specific changes in sound patterns can often mean the loss of a queen, swarming tendency, disease, or hive raiding.
Bee count. Counting the number of bees entering and leaving a hive will give beekeepers a sign of 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 tinkering with a whole new gateway to hives that where bees entering hives are photographed and analyzed to determine if bees have grabbed mites while outside of the hive, alerting beekeepers in the should treat those hives to avoid mite infestation.
A number of the more advanced (and dear) smart hives are created to automate high of standard Cau ong thong minh. These may 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 change hive conditions, preventing a swarm from occurring.
Mite treatment. When sensors indicate the existence of mites, automated hives can release anti-mite treatments like formic acid. Some bee scientists are tinkering with CO2, allowing levels to climb enough in hives to kill mites, but not adequate to endanger bees. Others work 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 loads of honey, self-harvesting hives can split cells, allowing honey to empty beyond specially engineered frames into containers beneath the hives, prepared to tap by beekeepers.
While smart hives are simply start to be adopted by beekeepers, forward thinkers in the industry are already exploring the next-gen of technology.