AI-Powered Smart Beehives
The buzz inside a beehive is becoming a stream of data in Kenya, where researchers are using AI and smart sensors to help farmers track colonies, spot threats early and manage hives remotely.
Footage filmed in Nairobi on Tuesday shows Frederick Ogore, Daystar University’s AI Implementation Team Lead, inspecting smart beehives and a digital dashboard tracking hive data.
“This is a smart farming solution for bees,” Ogore said. “We have implemented IoT <…> We have some AI components that are able to analyse some of the bee behaviours, or what I call the bee patterns, that we are interested in.”
Sensors collect data on bee activity and buzzing patterns, giving farmers a window into what is happening inside their hives without repeatedly opening them.
“The main passion here is: how do we help farmers, especially those who are using traditional means, to harness bee data? For example, if somebody is interested to know how their hive is doing,” he added.
Remote Monitoring And Threat Detection
Infrared sensors can also detect potential threats, including honey badgers, monkeys or people approaching the hives. Powered by solar energy, the system sends data to a remote dashboard, allowing farmers to monitor hives across different locations.
“If a farmer has different sites, they are able to see them on a remote application, on a dashboard. Yes, it is possible with technologies like LoRaWAN and GSM,” Ogore explained.
Power consumption remains a challenge as more devices are connected, with the team using 30-minute charging and streaming cycles to manage battery demand.
AI To Detect Bee Stress And Colony Collapse
Ogore said the next phase will focus on using AI to detect bee stress and colony collapse disorder, including changes linked to food shortages or predators.
“When they don’t find pollen, when there are predators around, with no food or pollen, then that actually brings stress. So we want to implement how to detect stress among bees and colony collapse disorder,” he added.
Bees are vital pollinators for crops and wild plants, making healthy colonies important for food production and ecosystems. Smart monitoring could help farmers spot problems earlier while reducing the need to disturb their hives.
Article by Viory
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