Redesigning Beekeeping – Attract · SUGAR project 2022/23

The project · from brief to prototype

What happened, step by step.

01

Challenge

Climate change hits honeybees twice. Varroa mites weaken bees and infect larvae, and unstable weather confuses colonies: bees leave the hive too early in spring, and colonies are lost when the cold returns.

02

What the team learned

Beekeepers' manual hive visits and pesticide treatments involve guesswork and are not effective enough. Warm winters or sudden cold can confuse bees about the seasons.

03

What they built

BeeMo, a modular gateway that slots into the hive entrance. Bees pass freely through tunnels; mites are drawn through slits to a tray with a larvae-scented chemical underneath. A sensor module monitors bee activity.

04

Impact

Released as open source with no patents, so beekeepers can build and modify BeeMo at no cost. The team hopes it becomes a platform for technologies such as META HiLight.

Full project text

The team’s original texts from the project page.

A modular device that tackles the issues set by pests and climate change furthering the wellbeing of bees.

This is part of ATTRACT which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme (GA 101004462)

Legal Disclaimer:

The European Commission’s support does not constitute an endorsement of the contents, which only reflects the views of the author. The Commission is not responsible for any use of the information therein.”

Challenge

Climate change affects beekeeping worldwide and results in two serious problems for honeybees, varroa mites and climate fluctuation. Varroa mites are pests that attach to honeybee's body making the bee weak. Furthermore, the mites infect honeybees' larvae resulting in new bees being born with different disabilities, like deformed wings. On the other hand, the fast-changing climate and unstable weather make bees confused. For example, they get out of the hive too early in the Spring, with nothing to pollinate and cold weather returning result in colony losses.

Solution

Our solution is a modular device that is easy to insert at the entrance of the beehive
and to upkeep. The gateway consists of three parts: a varroa mite treatment module, a tunnel system and sensor module.

Bees can enter and exit the hive freely through the tunnels. Underneath the tunnels there is a shelf filled with a larvae smelling chemical that attracts the mites. The Mites reach the chemical through the slits in the tunnels and are left there. holes that are at the bottom of the tunnels. The sensor module at the bottom of the system enables monitoring of the bees' activities.

Impact

We provide a novel solution to the most urgent need of beekeepers that is cost-effective and easy to use. At the same time, it is a pathway to introduce digital solutions into the beekeeping industry that are already needed for the new challenges that are awakened due to our dynamic environment.

The solutions’ adaptability allows beekeepers to configure the device for their certain needs, increasing the well-being of their honeybee colonies.

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