Technology and beekeeping: how to protect bees

Although it is a job in close contact with nature, conducted in the open air, beekeeping also has an extremely technological side. The advance of the so-called Industry 4.0 in the beekeeping sector is not a recent phenomenon and responds to a clear need: improving the management of work in the apiary, thereby also improving the life and well-being of bees. Technology therefore responds to the need to help beekeepers and protect bees. Hive and technology are therefore not two separate worlds, far from it!

The issue of the protection and defence of bees has fortunately become increasingly well known. The importance of thesepollinating insects for our planet and our lives is becoming clear to an increasing number of people, who are concerned about their protection. The dangers faced by bees are also becoming increasingly well known: climate change, disease, parasites, depletion of natural habitats, destruction of ecosystems... But what tools does technology provide for beekeepers to deal with these increasingly worrying threats?

Assuming that the work of the beekeeper is currently essential for the survival of honey bees, technology can make a significant contribution to this very mission. It is indeed increasingly easy to come across terms such as 'digital hive', 'smart hive' or 'hive 4.0', but what are we talking about? What does hive 4.0 mean and how do we protect these crucial pollinators through technology? There are some essential parameters to monitor.

The smart hive, the technological hive, is a hive whose management is supported by innovative tools that allow the beekeeper to take the best care of his bees. 3Bee systems are an example of this. By installing the Hive-Tech device on the hive, the beekeeper is able to collect valuable data on the main biological parameters of the hive. Measuring temperature, both inside and outside, humidity level, weight and sound intensity gives important information about the bees' state of health.

The easiest value to read is definitely the weight. The change in weight of the hive indicates whether the hive is growing and whether it is in the production phase or whether it is consuming stocks. If the weight falls below a certain threshold, the beekeeper knows that he must intervene promptly. The same thing happens when the weight increases. This allows the beekeeper to always have under control the state of his bees, thus avoiding deaths due to lack of nourishment and checking that they are growing properly.

The temperature, on the other hand, is a more subtle piece of data to read, but just as important. By monitoring the temperature inside the hive, it is possible to tell if the queen is present in the hive and if she is laying eggs. Laying is in fact associated with a constant temperature inside the hive, which always remains close to 34-35°C and does not follow fluctuations in the outside temperature. This is an important datum, especially to understand the development phases of the hive and to identify the best moment to intervene against varroa, a very dangerous parasite that constantly threatens the survival of the hive.

The help of technology therefore makes it possible to intervene promptly to help the bees because any anomalies are signalled to the beekeeper and need to be reabsorbed as quickly as possible to prevent damage to the bees. Through the use of these intelligent hives, bee mortality can be reduced by up to 30%, which is a very significant percentage. The support of technology for the survival of bees is therefore very important and more and more beekeepers are realising this, introducing the decision support tools into their beekeeping reality. Moreover, through 3Bee Hive-Tech, anyone can contribute to the largest study and research project on bees, pollinators and biodiversity by adopting a hive.