Test Cases

Automated monitoring for bees in boreal region

Leader
ART21

Country
Lithuania

Sector
Apiculture

Biogeographical region
Boreal

Range of digital technologies
Beehives monitoring system

Target stakeholders
During the development of this test case, different parcels (beehives) within the same farm will be deployed. More specifically, a beekeeper (private family farmer) has around 20 hives, representing an average beekeeper (end-user) in Lithuania. Therefore, using different beehives on the same farm will reduce the risk of data mismatch due to various environmental and local conditions differences. In parallel, collaboration and consultation with non-technological beekeepers are planing, which may complement the results of the solutions and tools provided by ART21.

Short description

Beehive protection and monitoring system are delivered as a service, provided to beekeepers as end-users. The system installed in the beekeeper's hive (autonomous sensory device) is connected to the central server. The system continuously collects data on the situation in the hives - ambient and hive temperature, hive humidity, and acoustic signals. This data is transferred to a central server and processed. The beekeeper is able to access the system using a web browser and see all the information related to the hive. Based on this information, it is possible to identify threats to the family and anticipate possible actions: the possibility of swarm formation, the loss of the queen bee, cases of assault of the bee colony, assessment of bee health, etc. Also, notifications inform the beekeeper of sudden changes in temperature, humidity or sound in specific ranges. Such tools and technologies ensure the protection of bee colonies, which in turn increases the efficiency of farms. In this TC, beehives in one site will be equipped with beehive monitoring, providing real-time data and recommendations to the beekeeper. The second site will be managed by traditional means (ex., manual inspections performed).

Major goals

The objectives of the use case are to promote the implementation of innovative solutions for the protection and monitoring of beehives, and thus to ensure effective care of bee colonies, sustainable agricultural development, and improve the environment. The aim of leveraging the beehive protection system is because it provides accurate information on the condition of hives (accuracy), it increases the efficiency of beekeeping, reduces losses of bee colonies, increases production yield (economy) and based on the information provided by the system, beekeepers are able to protect their bee colonies, thus reducing the negative impact on the environment and improving the quality of production (environmental).