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Because the invention of 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 luxury to evolve slowly, beekeeping must deploy the most up-to-date technologies if it’s to function 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 built to precisely monitor and manage conditions in hives. Where traditional beekeepers might visit each hive on a regular basis, smart hives monitor colonies 24/7, and so can alert beekeepers towards the need for intervention the moment an issue situation occurs.

“Until the arrival 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 in to the Internet of Things. If you're able to adjust your home’s heat, turn lights don and doff, see who’s at the door, all coming from a smart phone, you will want to perform the same goes with beehives?” Although many see the economic potential of smart hives-more precise pollinator management might have significant effect on the final outcome of farmers, orchardists and commercial beekeepers-Wilson-Rich and his team at the best Bees is most encouraged by their influence on bee health. “In the U.S. we lose nearly half of our bee colonies each and every year.“ Says Wilson-Rich. “Smart hives enable more precise monitoring and treatment, and that can often mean a significant improvement in colony survival rates. That’s a win for everybody on earth.” The first smart hives to be released utilize solar energy, micro-sensors and smartphone apps to monitor conditions in hives and send reports to beekeepers’ phones for 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 in the start and stop of nectar flow, alerting these phones the necessity to feed (when weight is low) and harvest honey (when weight is high). Comparing weight across hives gives beekeepers a sense of the relative productivity of each one colony. A dramatic drop in weight can suggest that the colony has swarmed, or perhaps the hive continues to be knocked over by animals. Temperature. Monitoring hive temperature can alert beekeepers to dangerous conditions: excessive heat indicating the hive must be moved to a shady spot or ventilated; unusually low heat indicating the hive needs to be insulated or shielded from cold winds. Humidity. While honey production creates a humid environment in hives, excessive humidity, mainly in the winter, can be quite a danger to colonies. Monitoring humidity levels allow for beekeepers realize that moisture build-up is occurring, indicating a need 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 for the must ventilate hives. Acoustics. Acoustic monitoring within hives can alert beekeepers to a amount of dangerous situations: specific alterations in sound patterns can often mean loosing a queen, swarming tendency, disease, or hive raiding. Bee count. Counting the quantity of bees entering and leaving a hive will give beekeepers a sign from the size and health of colonies. For commercial beekeepers this could indicate nectar flow, as well as the must relocate hives to more lucrative areas. Mite monitoring. Australian scientists are using a 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 from the should treat those hives to prevent mite infestation. Some of the more complex (and expensive) smart hives are made 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 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 advise that a colony is preparing to swarm, automated hives can adjust hive conditions, preventing a swarm from occurring. Mite treatment. When sensors indicate the use of mites, automated hives can release anti-mite treatments like formic acid. Some bee scientists are using CO2, allowing levels to climb adequate in hives to kill mites, but not high enough to endanger bees. Others work on the prototype of a hive “cocoon” that raises internal temperatures to 108 degrees, that heat that kills most varroa mites. Feeding. When weight monitors indicate 'abnormal' amounts 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 out of engineered frames into containers below the hives, prepared to tap by beekeepers. While smart hives are only start to be adopted by beekeepers, forward thinkers on the market are actually studying the next generation of technology. For more information about Thung ong thong minh explore our new webpage