Connected hives to save our bees

” In a country of all times. Lived the most beautiful bee. That we have seen for a long time. Soar through the sky “, we used to tell the cartoons of Maya the bee. Unfortunately, the little forager and her sisters who contribute to the pollination of 70% of the species of flowering plants in the world are victims of the disappearance of their natural habitat, intensive agriculture, pesticides, climate change, viruses and hornets.

To fight against the decline of bees, the World Bee Project association has created a global network of connected hives. The data collected by the technological tools of the American company Oracle are analyzed by artificial intelligence programs. The device, which is also an alert system, allows beekeepers, scientists, but also governments to take urgent decisions to try to save our friends the bees, explains Éric Vessier, innovation ambassador at Oracle France.

Establish numerical models to predict events harmful to bees

” From beekeepers to scientists, everyone affected by the problem will be able to access this data directly and free of charge from any digital device. The system primarily consists of sensors of several types that are installed in and around the hives. The information is collected and stored with others on our computer servers. They are analyzed using image and sound recognition software by artificial intelligence, Machine Learning and Deep Learning programs. says Eric Vessier.

Then he adds: This analysis makes it possible to establish numerical models to predict events harmful to bees and which, in the event of threats, will generate an alert for the people who take care of the hives. The United Kingdom, Hungary and Israel were the first to use this device, but today, about sixty countries have joined the project. All of these technologies offer us a clear vision of the decline of bees by observing an enormous quantity of hives in the world and allow us to have a better knowledge and awareness of the phenomenon to initiate concrete actions both locally and worldwide to combat the scourge of bee colony collapse »

Millions of data per minute

These connected hives generate 2 to 3 million data per minute! The visual and auditory sensors of this alert system scrutinize the vibrations emitted by the swarm and allow the instantaneous detection of a hornet attack, for example. Others measure the health of hives by recording their weight, temperature and humidity inside.

Some report a meteorological catastrophe, such as a storm, an episode of frost or a persistent heat wave. While world bee day takes place on May 20, the World Bee Project association recalls that after the disappearance of the pollinating people of Maya the bee, the food disaster that will follow will affect all of humanity.

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