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Clemensen Erickson posted an update 7 months ago
Considering that the invention of the wooden beehive 150+ in the past, 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 newest technologies if it’s to work industry by storm growing habitat loss, pollution, pesticide use and the spread of global pathogens.
Enter 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 on a weekly or monthly basis, smart hives monitor colonies 24/7, and so can alert beekeepers towards the requirement for intervention as soon as a difficulty situation occurs.
“Until the arrival of smart hives, beekeeping was a mechanical process.” Says our founder and Chief Science Officer, Dr. Noah Wilson-Rich. “With technology we’re bringing bees in to the Internet of Things. If you can adjust your home’s heat, turn lights on and off, see who’s at the doorway, all from the cell phone, you will want to perform the in final summary is beehives?”
While many see the economic potential of smart hives-more precise pollinator management may have significant influence on the conclusion of farmers, orchardists and commercial beekeepers-Wilson-Rich with his fantastic team at the best Bees is most encouraged by their affect bee health. “In the U.S. we lose almost half in our bee colonies annually.“ Says Wilson-Rich. “Smart hives accommodate more precise monitoring and treatment, which could mean a significant improvement in colony survival rates. That’s success for everybody in the world.”
The initial smart hives to be sold utilize solar energy, micro-sensors and smart phone apps to watch conditions in hives and send reports to beekeepers’ phones about the conditions in every hive. Most smart hive systems include monitors that measure hive weight, temperature, humidity, CO2 levels, acoustics and in some cases, bee count.
Weight. Monitoring hive weight gives beekeepers a signal in the stop and start of nectar flow, alerting these to the necessity to feed (when weight is low) and 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 stop by weight can declare that the colony has swarmed, or even the hive may be knocked over by animals.
Temperature. Monitoring hive temperature can alert beekeepers to dangerous conditions: excessive heat indicating the hive needs to be gone after a shady spot or ventilated; unusually low heat indicating the hive should be insulated or protected against cold winds.
Humidity. While honey production produces a humid environment in hives, excessive humidity, mainly in the winter, is usually a danger to colonies. Monitoring humidity levels allow beekeepers are aware that moisture build-up is going on, indicating any excuses for better ventilation and water removal.
CO2 levels. While bees can tolerate higher levels of CO2 than humans, excessive levels can kill them. Monitoring CO2 levels can alert beekeepers on the should ventilate hives.
Acoustics. Acoustic monitoring within hives can alert beekeepers into a number of dangerous situations: specific modifications in sound patterns can indicate losing a queen, swarming tendency, disease, or hive raiding.
Bee count. Counting the number of bees entering and leaving a hive can give beekeepers an illustration of the size and health of colonies. For commercial beekeepers this could indicate nectar flow, along with the have to relocate hives to more productive areas.
Mite monitoring. Australian scientists are tinkering with a fresh gateway to hives that where bees entering hives are photographed and analyzed to find out if bees have picked up mites while outside the hive, alerting beekeepers of the need to treat those hives to prevent mite infestation.
Some of the more complex (and dear) smart hives are made to automate a lot of standard beekeeping work. These normally include 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 adjust hive conditions, preventing a swarm from occurring.
Mite treatment. When sensors indicate the existence of mites, automated hives can release anti-mite treatments such as formic acid. Some bee scientists are experimenting with CO2, allowing levels to climb sufficient in hives to kill mites, but not enough to endanger bees. Others will work over a prototype of your 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 good amount of honey, self-harvesting hives can split cells, allowing honey to drain out of specially engineered frames into containers below the hives, willing to tap by beekeepers.
While smart hives are just starting to be adopted by beekeepers, forward thinkers in the marketplace already are exploring the next generation of technology.
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