This article will highlight how remote sensing technology has become a vital component in the healthy production of bee colonies and honey production while using our cellular SIM card technology – simHERO.
The importance of honey bees
Honey is humankind’s oldest sweetener – and for thousands of years, it was also the only one available. It is delicious and has several health benefits ranging from an excellent source of nutrients and antioxidants, wound healing, and soothing irritated throats. In addition, honey Bees produce our beloved honey and perform a crucial pollination function for both domesticated and wild plants.
But the life of the Honey Bees is not only flowers and honey making. The reality is that pesticides and genetically modified crops have placed an enormous strain on beekeepers to maintain a healthy colony of bees. Therefore remote sensors with cellular SIM card technology have been developed to aid beekeepers to monitor their colonies, their health and respond to their needs in a fast way.
How the cellular sensors work
A sensing device is usually installed at the beehive entrance with sensing tubes placed both inside and outside the hive. Along with basic programming computing power, each device has cellular roaming features and a GSM module where our simHERO IoT SIM cards can be placed. This enables the device to transmit data seamlessly. In addition, a sensor can relay real-time data to a cloud system, which can be monitored via an app on a beekeepers android device.
There are many connected sensors for beekeepers available on the market; here are a few examples:
- MZ-2631 from Melissozigaria
- Beescale diagnostic tool from Beescales
- IoBee unit from IoBee
Bee sensor features
Most sensors provide Beekeepers with multiple essential data to grow healthy Honey Bee colonies. Here are a few examples of measurements communicated by the cellular sensor to the mobile app of Honey Farmers:
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Weight of the beehive:
The heaviness of a beehive indicates how healthy a bee colony is, how productive the bees are and how much honey they make. It also helps to assess the right time to harvest the sweet honey.
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The real-time temperature inside the beehive:
The internal temperature of a beehive plays a crucial role in maintaining a healthy colony. Under the right temperature conditions, the colony can raise the brood efficiently, survive harsh external weather conditions and keep the honey at an optimal hydration rate.
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Level of humidity:
Moisture is a grave threat to bees. The cold causes water to form into droplets on surfaces within the hive, which drip on the bees and dramatically reduces their body temperature. Excess moisture leads to organisms such as fungi invading the hive. A high humidity level may lead to the spoilage of the honey.
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Swarming activity:
When the old queen leaves the hive to make space for a new queen, a swarm of roughly 60% loyal worker bees follows her. The faster the beekeepers separate the old and the new queen, the greater the number of workers surviving, and the colony will continue (peacefully) to thrive. Sensors measure the amount of traffic and activity at the hive entrance.
Monitoring of beehives is way much more complex than you thought, right?
But now comes the question…how to choose a partner which provides the connectivity IoT SIM card to support the seamless work of the Bee sensor? In the end, to secure the long healthy, and productive life of bees, the connectivity can never fail, and the measurements need to be accurate. Do not worry; we have just the solution! Let simHERO help contribute to an abundant honey harvest for you!
Choose simHERO as your connectivity partner
Digitizing industries while supporting the environment is precisely up our alley. At simHERO, we stand for a win-win solution for all our diverse clients, no matter in which industry they operate. For example, suppose you are an electronics provider who wishes to resell bee-sensing devices, or perhaps you are a beekeeper who intends on supplying such devices for your stock or partners. In that case, the following features apply to you!
More straightforward processing for you as a sensor supplier
Some sensor suppliers suggest their end-users go to a local store to purchase a SIM card and activate it. In some cases, the SIM cards don’t work well with the sensors, or the activation is complicated, which results in an after-purchase-service-hassle that you, like the busy bee farmer, will have to deal with. With a partner by your side, all these tasks are taken care of, and you do not have to deal with them.
Complex local SIM activation or connection can compromise the performance of your sensors. The simHERO IoT SIM cards will never let your connectivity drop and are easy to set up. Test SIM cards, a ready-made package that is easy to install.
