Bees key to biodiversity

Honey bees are vital pollinators for food production and preserving biodiversity. Around 25 per cent of all existing honey bee colonies are managed in Europe. However, their health is increasingly at risk from pesticides, the spread of the Varroa mite and the impacts of climate change. Digitized beekeeping is therefore worthwhile in both economic and ecological terms.

Proof of concept per app

“Hivesound’s first product is called Queen@Home and serves as a proof of concept for our idea and market entry,” said Dr. Uve Samuels, EXII Managing Director. Queen@Home does not require any special hardware. “The idea is to hold a mobile phone right under the stick and to learn immediately whether the queen is there.” The application runs on an app. The beehives are managed digitally and the app also eases the documentation of the AI analysis. “The aim is to expand Queen@Home into an end-to-end real-time monitoring system using additional sensors such as microphones in the hive.” Sensors for measuring parameters such as temperature and humidity, which serve as additional indicators for more accurate predictions will also be used. “The aim is to detect other aspects such as swarm mood, diseases, heat stress or pesticide exposure using AI-based sound analysis,” Samuel added.

Bio-monitoring with bees

Global bio-monitoring is visionary, Samuels notes, adding: “Honey bees carry substances from their surroundings and react sensitively to changes in their environment making them ideal bio-monitors.” All the data collected in real-time monitoring and manual inspections are valuable indicators of the state of the environment. “The data should be made publicly available (open data). By using our product, beekeepers can provide input worldwide. The AI models are optimized based on the collected data, regional anomalies are detected and scientists gain valuable insights into many different ecosystems.”