Technologies for saving honey bees

Technologies for saving honey bees

By Kristina Sobol

Budrigannews.com – The global supply of food is being threatened as a result of the declining honey bee population. However, new technologies may assist beekeepers in reducing the threat.

Although beekeepers are typically thought of as sole producers of honey, they are actually part of a growing industry in which they lease their hives to farmers who require bees to pollinate their crops.

The commercial bee industry is crucial to the production of numerous crops, including almonds, broccoli, and apples, and provides pollination services worth tens of billions of dollars. For instance, in order for California to produce 80% of the world’s almonds, pollen needs to be transferred between trees. To complete the task, more than 2 million bee hives are required each year.

The world’s bees are suffering from climate change, intensive farming, and the use of pesticides and fungicides in agriculture. According to University of Maryland research, commercial beekeepers in the United States lost 44% of their managed colonies in 2019.

In an effort to reduce losses and improve bee health, technology startups are developing smart devices that provide beekeepers with detailed information about the state of their hives.

One of them is ApisProtect, based in Ireland, which recently introduced a sensor that informs beekeepers of any issues with their hives.

The beehive’s temperature, humidity, sound, and movement are all measured by the small, internet-connected sensor under the roof. The sensor’s data are transmitted via the cloud to ApisProtect’s headquarters in Cork, Ireland, where they are processed, analyzed, and returned to the beekeeper.

According to Fiona Edwards Murphy, the company’s founder and chief executive officer, “beekeepers are going to be able to keep many, many more hives using our device for the same amount of workers and the same amount of spend on things like feed and treatments.” They will be able to significantly increase both the amount of honey produced and the amount of pollination they receive from their operation.”

The business has been working with 20 beekeepers in the United States, Ireland, the United Kingdom, and South Africa to keep an eye on up to 20 million honey bees since it received $1.8 million in funding from international investors in 2018.

The algorithms that process the data generated by the 400 smart sensor units are fueled by the data that is being compiled into a global database of bee health.

There are a number of other startups promoting new technologies, such as Pollenity in Bulgaria, Arnia in the United Kingdom, and BeeHero in Israel, given the high demand for bees in the expanding pollination industry.

Sergey Petrov established Pollenity in 2015 and has raised $1.2 million in funding. It collaborates with six European universities on a research project called HIVEOPOLIS, which is funded by the EU. Its smart sensor device, Beebot, is intended for hobbyist and small beekeepers.

A robot bee that can “dance” to direct the hive’s swarm is one of the technologies used in the project to reinvent hives and improve bees’ well-being.

According to Petrov, “the robot bee will tell the other bees where to go to find nectar and pollen.” This will not only direct them to specific fields for pollination, but it will also steer the bees away from potentially hazardous locations, such as pesticide-using areas.

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According to Petrov, there are also plans to develop technology for determining whether a bee has been poisoned by pesticides.

He views safeguarding the honey bee’s future as one of the world’s greatest obstacles. He states, “And I’m not giving up,” adding, “We might as well just give up if we don’t harvest the technology to work in our favor.”