Beekeepers frequently open up their hives to check on them, but doing so adds to their workload and stresses out the bees. That’s why a team of Dutch entrepreneurs set out to develop a high-tech alternative, resulting in the BEEP base hive-monitoring system.
The base itself is a weatherproof device that sits underneath an existing hive, allowing beekeepers to take good care of their bee colonies without causing too much disruption. It proceeds to continuously monitor the weight of the hive, along with its internal temperature and its bee-noise levels. The information is then sent to a mobile app, where beekeepers can inspect the situation at hand.
The app can be set to provide alerts in the case of important events. A drop in hive weight, for instance, could indicate that the colony has swarmed, the hive has fallen over, or honey production has decreased. It can also show whether the queen of the hive is in trouble or whether she has stopped laying eggs.
