A great example of real-time data turning into actionable information!
We run a number of R&D hives with monitoring technology. We build them up and let them run down to help identify patterns. All the hives have our iAPIS Hive Monitoring system on including an intelligent bottom board with weight and bee counters.
To manage the power consumption we have intelligent algorithms to manage data collection coupled with a battery and solar panel.
In addition to weight, we can count the bees coming in, and going out of the hive. For research projects, we can even break that down to which of the 16 tunnels they are favouring for in or out activity, one bee at a time!
To far away to keep an eye on everything..
While we were at the APINZ conference hundreds of kilometers away we got an alert about one of the hives. We were then able to observe some unusual activity on one of our R&D hives. Take a look at the graph and see if you can imagine what was happening to the hive…
The graph above shows the hive in a weak state, but then all of a sudden having a significant increase in activity, but with a commensurate weight drop….
Ooops looks like we let that hive get to weak! It was now at a point where it couldn’t eject marauders and was being robbed out.
This was a great example of how we can use technology to give us a real-time view of what is happening and build a picture without actually being there. We can then look at the historic visits and tasks, and hive performance to see what thresholds for action should be. In this case in that location and with that weather we now know just how weak a hive can be until it becomes a target for robbing.
Our iAPIS Hive Monitoring module is a tool for beekeepers to make decisions based on data to optimise profitability, production and visit management. Integrating real-time hive and weather data with visit and task planning provides a more complete picture of visit outcomes, opportunities to improve practices, and reduce visits and costs.
We are really excited about the electronic observations and opportunities of having a fully integrated monitoring, works, visit and task scheduling, and extraction/harvest system, and the insights this is starting to provide.
We strongly believe that more beekeepers need access to this level of data to not only improve their planning and operation but to also improve the industry as a whole.
