Since invention from 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 latest technologies if it’s to perform in the face of growing habitat loss, pollution, pesticide use and also the spread of global pathogens.

Go into 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 the weekly or monthly basis, smart hives monitor colonies 24/7, so can alert beekeepers towards the requirement of intervention the moment a problem 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 to the Internet of products. If you can adjust your home’s heat, turn lights don and doff, see who’s your door, all from a smart phone, why don’t you do the same with beehives?”

While many see the economic potential of smart hives-more precise pollinator management might have significant affect the final outcome of farmers, orchardists and commercial beekeepers-Wilson-Rich and the team at Best Bees is most encouraged by their impact on bee health. “In the U.S. we lose nearly half of our bee colonies every year.“ Says Wilson-Rich. “Smart hives accommodate more precise monitoring and treatment, understanding that can often mean a significant improvement in colony survival rates. That’s a victory for anyone on the planet.”

The initial smart hives to be released utilize solar energy, micro-sensors and mobile phone apps to watch conditions in hives and send reports to beekeepers’ phones for the conditions in every 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 sign in the start and stop of nectar flow, alerting these to the requirement 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 one colony. A dramatic stop by weight can declare that the colony has swarmed, or even 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 gone after a shady spot or ventilated; unusually low heat indicating the hive must be insulated or protected from cold winds.

Humidity. While honey production produces a humid environment in hives, excessive humidity, mainly in the winter, can be a danger to colonies. Monitoring humidity levels can let beekeepers know that moisture build-up is occurring, indicating an excuse for better ventilation and water removal.

CO2 levels. While bees can tolerate much higher numbers of CO2 than humans, excessive levels can kill them. Monitoring CO2 levels can alert beekeepers to the need to ventilate hives.

Acoustics. Acoustic monitoring within hives can alert beekeepers into a number of dangerous situations: specific alterations in sound patterns could mean loosing a queen, swarming tendency, disease, or hive raiding.

Bee count. Counting the volume of bees entering and leaving a hive may give beekeepers an indication 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 using a brand new gateway to hives that where bees entering hives are photographed and analyzed to ascertain if bees have grabbed mites while beyond your hive, alerting beekeepers of the should treat those hives to prevent mite infestation.

A number of the more advanced (and dear) smart hives are made to automate most of standard beekeeping work. These normally include environmental control, swarm prevention, mite treatment and honey harvesting.

Environmental control. When data indicate a hive is just 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 getting ready to swarm, automated hives can transform hive conditions, preventing a swarm from occurring.

Mite treatment. When sensors indicate a good mites, automated hives can release anti-mite treatments for example formic acid. Some bee scientists are using CO2, allowing levels to climb enough in hives to kill mites, however, not high enough to endanger bees. Others work on a prototype of an hive “cocoon” that raises internal temperatures to 108 degrees, that 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 good amount of honey, self-harvesting hives can split cells, allowing honey to empty out of specially designed frames into containers below the hives, willing to tap by beekeepers.

While smart hives are just start to be adopted by beekeepers, forward thinkers in the market are actually looking at the next generation of technology.

To read more about Cau ong thong minh you can check our web portal