Founded by Beekeepers. Established in 2009, maintain over 40 colonies in the UK and Italy

Transcription

1 Dr Huw Evans

2 Founded by Beekeepers Established in 2009, maintain over 40 colonies in the UK and Italy

3 Background to Hive Monitoring For centuries people have used sound as a diagnostic tool. Around 50 BC Virgil documented changes in sound. Columella 50 AD Thomas Butler 1609 Thomas Wildman 1759

4 Electronic Monitoring of Sound E. F. Woods BBC sound engineer and beekeeper 1950 s Cocktail party effect Conducted experiments for over 10 years Published results in Nature & New Scientist Apidictor Swarm prediction and Queen health

5 The Warble Woods Nature 1959

6 Electronic Monitoring of Sound Bee Tone Analyser (O. Vancata, 1995) Modern version of the Apidictor Operational drawbacks remained

7 Recent Electronic Monitoring Jerry Broomenshenk (Varroa, africanised bees and toxin exposure) David Atauri (sound monitoring) Martin Bensick (using vibrations) All required some sort of personal computer not suited to use in the apiary!

8 Our Concept A self contained affordable device that sends SMS or alerts Check the status bees remotely

9 Experiment 25 Terra Bytes of Acoustic data!

10 Soundscape Creation Construct 3D version over time to map the evolution of sound

11 Soundscape NO SWARM 21 days

12 Soundscape NO SWARM SWARM with Warble 21 days

13 Soundscape Warble and beyond 40 days

14 Problems with Accurate Swarm Prediction Some bees start then give up! Supersedure Warble Inconsistency Variation in Bee breed Changes with hive type Types of swarming Consistency exists Traffic light system

15 Potential value in Soundscapes Health (Varroa, Nosema, AFB) Comparative Strength (interesting difference between strength and health) Spring build up Forage activity Fanning activity

16 Additional Paramiters Temperature and Humidity (Hive homeostasis) Weight (how much honey) Movement (robbing by man or bee!) Tilt (vandalism by man or bear! Ambient temperature and Rainfall (apiary weather conditions)

17 Returning to our Original Concept

18 World s first commercially available affordable Hive Monitor!

19 Monitor Gateway

20 Configuration Data Storage Monitor Gateway Hive Monitors

21 Hive Monitor Sensors Microphone Temperature Accelerometer (internal and external) Ext Brood Temperature probe Ext Humidity probe Spare ADC input (CO2) Relay input (bee counters) Apiary temperature

22 Weather Pack Accessories apiary weather conditions, current and historical queen mating External Antenna weak signal areas Scales winter monitoring accurately map nectar flow know when to add or remove supers

23 Hive Scales Unique open floor to allow debris to drop Increased ventilation Low profile, 3.5cm high Handles uneven load Fully wireless operation Supermarket batteries Max Load 150Kg, Resolution of 10g 2200 readings local storage, USB access

24 User Interface Access information from you hives using any internet enabled device

25 SECURE

26 BASIC

27 PRO

28 Brood Temperature

29 Brood/Hive Temp Comparison

30 Hive Temp Comparison

31 Hive Temp Comparison

32 Applications to Bee Husbandry Beta Testing the monitors for over 2 years Benefits Theft/vandalism Foraging Nectar processing Colony development Hive Homeostasis Brood state Queen status Queen Raising/Mating Bees robbing Swarm management Health Winter monitoring Apiary weather conditions

33 Applications to Research Helping researchers for the past 3 years IPI University of Dundee & SBA Pesticides IPI University of Newcastle Nutrition BBKA monitor disruption following hive inspections Benefits Accurate and Consistent measurements High Resolution (one per minuet) Automatically and reliably logged Allow large scale geographical studies

34 Summary Remote Monitoring & Instant Alerts Minimises Hive Inspections Conditions inside Hive during Winter Useful tool for Scientists and Beekeepers New technology, full application to beekeeping will evolve with use over time Does not remove the need for a beekeeper