For decades, apiarists have depended on a simple method to check the status of their bees: open the hive, take it apart and look at the frames.
That old-fashioned method will be replaced with a modern technology this summer on Durston Honey Farms near Dauphin, Man.
Allan Campbell, who runs 3,500 hives in Manitoba and in British Columbia, is installing sensors inside bee colonies to monitor critical information like hive temperature, weight, bee population and the amount of food entering the hive.
The data will allow Campbell to make timely decisions on harvesting honey, saving labour costs and time.
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“Whenever we send out a crew with equipment it comes at a cost and if we find the hives aren’t making honey as we thought they were, we’ve wasted resources,” Campbell said in a release heralding the technology.
“When these high-tech sensors pick up a heavier weight on the scale or detect more foraging activity, we will know where to find a full honey load and can keep our harvesting costs down.”
Campbell developed the technology in co-operative with Mitacs, a non-profit organization that builds research partnerships with universities, business and governments.
For this project, Campbell worked with University of Manitoba electrical engineering professor Cyrus Shafai and a group of students.
The U of M team developed the specialized sensors that will go into the hives.
Function Four, a Winnipeg software firm, has created software so Durston Honey Farms can track and manage data from the hives.
“This ground-breaking system is taking the business of maintaining beekeeping records to new levels,” Shafai said.
Ultimately, the technology could also be used for traceability. The software will allow Campbell to record honey production and trace the source back to specific hive.
“Our goal is to be able to tell consumers: ‘this honey came from hive number 457 at this precise location and the name of the queen is Carrie.'”
Contact robert.arnason@producer.com
