Israeli Start-Up Creates Robotic Beehives To Support Dwindling Bee Colonies
On multiple occasions, scientists have highlighted how dwindling populations of bees threaten existing ecosystems on planet Earth.
In the face of new dangers posed by climate change clubbed with receding natural habitats for organisms, beekeepers are trying out new ways to preserve existing populations of bees.?
An Israeli startup has done the unthinkable by creating an artificial beehive to facilitate stable bee colonies under ideal conditions.?
Created by "Beewise", the apparatus aims to provide round-the-clock care for bees to prevent the collapse of colonies.?
Meet the next-gen beehive!
The next-gen hive which constitutes multiple layers of honeycombs can house up to 2 million bees... and that's not it! The robotic set-up also scans beehives for diseases, pesticides, and other hazards that may pose a threat to the gentle creatures.
It's no surprise that machines perform actions way better than human beings and the same holds true for the robotic arm which mothers the colony.?
Bee populations have suffered hits around the globe. The most well-known culprit is climate change, which is also driving up temperatures on Earth and causing erratic weather in all parts of the world - from the unprecedented bush-fires?in Australia to the recent catastrophic floods in Germany. Other factors that diminish bee populations include agriculture, using pesticides, and various pests.?
Why we must protect bees!
In the face of collapsing colonies, all stakeholders have been forced to consider creative solutions akin to the artificial colony created by "Beewise". Many companies that specialise in beekeeping have installed sensory devices on old-school wooden beehives.?
Others have discarded tradition altogether and have opted for ways to pollinate artificially, much like the Black Mirror episode titled "Hated in the Nation" where researchers created bee-like drone insects to assist with pollination.?
How huge is Beewise's hive??
The hive created by Beewise is home to 24 bee colonies. A robotic arm oversees the natural cycle and is equipped with computer vision and cameras. In addition, the arm can slide in-between honeycombs.?
?On the sides of beehives are colour-coded inlets/outlets that facilitate the movement of bees.?
Beewise CEO Saar Safra told Reuters that the robotic mechanism can work more effectively than humans, while joking that robotic arms do not go "on vacation", or get "tired".?
The beekeeper is usually in charge of a series of tasks including harvesting honey, application of medicine, and maintaining the health of hives by combining or splitting them.So far, Beewise has deployed 100 of its beehive apparatuses across the United States and Israel and aims to install more globally.
