Bees are responsible for pollinating one-third of the world’s food supply. However, bee populations are rapidly declining because of pesticides, pollution, diseases and habitat loss. Amy Taylor, who has 15 hives of her own split between two apiaries, is looking to encourage new beekeepers. She also wants to enable commercial beekeepers to manage larger amounts of hives without having to manually check their stock every few weeks. To this end, Amy has developed BeeSmarter, a new agri-tech application.
BeeSmarter consists of in-hive sensors that relay live data to a smart phone app. The sensors will measure temperature, humidity, sound, weight, and have an accelerometer. The data received give a real-time snapshot of the health of the beehive. The app allows the bee keeper to remotely monitor their hive, intervene when needed, and gives directions as to what actions should be made.
Amy has already developed a prototype. She is now researching the most-effective placement of the sensors in different hives to collect the best data. She is also creating a community hub that will give support and share experiences of beekeeping and her hive sensor data.
Amy joined the Regional Talent Engines programme in 2023. She says: “It has provided me with good guidance and relevant training via the in-person workshops. The programme has also established access to networking with fellow cohorts that has given me valuable new connections and contacts.”
Amy is now working to bring BeeSmarter to market. Commercial and amateur beekeepers will then be able to purchase sensor kits and be given access to online training videos. Amy says: “I am aiming to make my system easy to use, informative and fun!”
Associated Programme
