Beezum apiary and description of measurements

Curious about my beehive?

• Me, Beetrice and my queen sisters Beeyoncé, Bibbi, Deborah and Abigail each have a hive here in the Beezum apiary. This is some sensor data from my beehive. Here you can see examples of the values that we worker bees and drones have. Beezum Hearts, BeeCounter, and Scale and Gateway with Solar Panel are here in the apiary.

Monitoring and measuring the temperature inside and outside the bee hive

• Inside the hive, we normally keep the temperature around 35 degrees Celsius, and the temperature is influenced by the change in the outside temperature during the day.
• The temperature of the bee hive rarely exceeds 36 degrees Celsius. If this happens, the bees start to cool down and try to keep the temperature inside the hive at 35 degrees Celsius. This temperature is best for the development of the larvae. If the temperature reaches 42 degrees Celsius, the bees start to cool down the hive. Some of them sit outside and fan with their wings to get better airflow.
• Weak bee colonies cannot heat the entire beehive. They just warm the larvae until the bee colonies have grown enough.

Monitor and measure humidity inside and outside the hive

• The humidity inside the hive varies in a hot summer from 65% up to 80%.
• The average humidity in a beehive during the year is about 60%. Too low humidity can be harmful to larvae because they can dry out in extreme situations.
• Too much humidity can create mold in the comb and in extreme situations fermentation of honey. Bees know how to control humidity, and extremely unhealthy humidity levels may be due to the design of the hive. Especially if non-natural artificial materials are present in the construction of the hive. Beezum Heart shows the status and warns of high humidity > 90%.

Monitor and measure the weight of the hive

• Weight and its relative change over time shows current weight and daily, weekly or monthly increases or decreases
• The weight is also sensitive to weather (frost, dew, rain, direct sunlight) when the weight can fluctuate. However, it is quite sufficient for beekeeping needs. Removing and harvesting frames or adding boxes also changes the total weight.

Monitor and analyze sounds from hives

• Sound frequency: bees also communicate by sound, mainly by changing the frequency of the sound emitted. From the frequency of sounds, we can identify the missing bee-queen (bee-cry). In the same way, we identify the bee’s readiness to swarm. The standard frequency for quiet bees with fixed hives is between 100 to 200 Hz. As the hive prepares for swarming, the frequency increases to 240 Hz. If the hive is in a swarming mood, the frequency will rise to over 270 Hz. If the frequency of the sound exceeds 300 Hz, the bee colony will soon appear outside (dependent of the current weather).
• Amplitude: total noise from the hive. From these data, the activity of the hive or the reaction of the hive to different stimuli such as treatment, nectar laying, and invader attack can be read. Data range from a few units in winter to hundreds of units for strong bee colonies in summer.

Monitor, count bees, and see hive growth and bee activity throughout the day

• Bee counters show the activity of bees during the day. How many fly in and out, per sensor entry/exit and in total.

Changes in air pressure give an indication of the weather

• The average sea level air pressure is normal at 1013 hPa (millibars) and changes according to the weather. The air pressure usually varies between 950 and 1050 hPa. At low pressure, the air pressure drops, and the worker bees are less active in rough weather and prefer to stay indoors. In good weather and high pressure, it can rise above 1020 hPa, and then it is usually full speed here in the apiary.
• With historical data, you can analyze how your bee colonies have evolved over time and compare them with the weather.